My Number 1 Hero
by Eternal River
Summary: In every memory of her mother, she had smiled. Smiled as she welcomed death. "It's ok. Everything is ok." Her father's strong arms anchored her to the world. Strong, safe and warm. Even her nightmares, her curse couldn't touch her in the strong embrace of her number 1 hero, Aizawa Shouta
1. Chapter 1

" _It's ok, honey. Everything is ok._ "

Gentle, soothing words from a hazy past sighed in her ear. Repeating over and over again, it soothed the dull pounding of her headache, nostalgic and echoing with so much warmth. Her chest ached as she soaked it in, her voice. Her mother's voice.

After all, it was all she had left. All she could remember of her mother. " _It's ok, honey. Everything is ok,_ " she had said. Words filled with so much warmth and confidence that she hadn't a shred of doubt.

It repeated, a broken cycle over and over in her head, those last words her mother had ever spoken to her. Her mother's very last lie. Because her words of comfort be _damned._ Her face, she couldn't really remember. Her eyes, her nose, she couldn't recall. But she remembered her smile. The corners of her mouth curling upwards in a playful sort of way that only she ever did.

And her smiling visage warped, blood pouring out of her mouth. In that one and only memory of her mother, her mother had smiled so ever warmly as she welcomed death.

Screaming. She was screaming. Screaming at the smiling visage of her mother as blood dribbled from her every pore. The ugly nightmare ripped to shreds as strong arms snaked around her back, stroking it gently and calmly. The familiar smell of her father wafted through her nose and without opening her eyes, she snuggled further into his embrace.

"It's ok. Everything's ok." Aizawa Shota said. Words so similar echoed from a distant past and Aizawa Kurumi dug herself deeper into him, drowning out the echoes of her dead mother.

 **This is my very first fanfic. I'm kinda nervous and my skills are probably really rough around the edges. But hey, I definitely feel like I'll improve as I continue to write. Thanks for dropping by and any feedback will be greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

Just like the other children, she developed her quirk at the age of four. And just like any other children, she was giddy, brimming with excitement. Perhaps taking after her father, her quirk manifested in her eye. When she opened them newly awakened to her quirk, the world had become half of what it had once been. She blinked, small fingers gingerly rubbing over her right eye. She closed her left and the world fell into pitch darkness: her quirk had bestowed her with power, but not without a price, it seemed.

Having lived with two eyes for only four years, she adapted surprisingly fast to her new detriment, much to her father's relief. Her right eye had changed, now shining a dazzling amber, stark contrast to the black that she had once shared with him. His fingers curled through his daughter's black hair, gently ruffling it, gazing thoughtfully at her eye. Now that, he felt with pride he couldn't help, would grow to become a powerful quirk.

….

Every night, before she went to bed, her father would read to her stories of legendary heroes that had made a name for themselves. It was strange. These stories and people that seemed to come straight out of comic books and fairy tales, were actually real. In a world where supernatural powers had become the norm, her heart soared with every new tale her father told her. The many miracles and wonders made real. How dreams became reality. And with her father's gentle words drifting through her ears, she would fall asleep, her dreams filled with heroes standing triumphant over the big bad villains. All Might himself coming to the rescue as he vanquished the great evil with a proud smile on his face.

Sometimes there were stories hard to believe; of how a single punch from All Might had been enough to defeat ten villains. Of how Endeavor had summoned a fireball so grand that it had been like a miniature sun. She wouldn't have believed it If her dad wasn't a hero too. She had been surprised, shocked and then beyond ecstatic when he off-handedly mentioned he was a pro hero too.

Her father had many tales of the brave and the mighty. Yet strangely enough, never did he boast tales of himself and his adventures. Curious, she had searched it up on the internet, but to her shock, had found only snippets, small articles of the hero that was her father. So shocking was it to her, this difference between her father and All Might, that she had questioned him immediately when he had finished reading her bed stories.

Rubbing his dry, bloodshot eyes, he had blinked owlishly at the abrupt question before responding in his trademark monotonous tone, "True heroes never care for fame, Kurumi. Only those who wish to risk their lives for others, those with a selfless heart should aim to become heroes. Listen, Kurumi. Never be blinded by the fame and glory that comes with being a pro hero."

"Well, heroes like All Might deserves the fame he gets though," he added, "I never cared for it. Gets in my way of work."

Yawning, her dad's eyes had drooped with the exhaustion of the day as he threw himself onto her bed. With a small giggle, she pushed her face into the long, black strands of his hair so very much like her own as she settled down beside her father.

"Leave it to All Might and the rest to be the idols and favorites of brats these days." He mumbled before he drifted to sleep. His chest heaving and falling into a slow rhythm.

Most children her age looked up to glorious heroes, those with deeds and valor that made the news and were praised by the world. All Might was a prime example, a shining beacon that mesmerized many children. But her favorite hero wasn't anyone like that. It was a secret. A secret she would never tell anyone.

"But my favorite hero is the Eraser Head," She softly murmured into Aizawa Shouta's ear.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Hero's Dream**

The heat was palpable, nearly visible to the naked eye and the world seemed to bend under its intense wave. The cicadas sang in tandem, piercing and loud, one tree to the next and the Sun hung low, casting its bright glare below. The sand at the park glowed a near orange and a green haired boy quaked in fear as he stood over his fallen friend.

Three boys opposed him. The apparent leader of the small gang was a boy in the center with spiky blond hair. He stood there between his two goons, staring at the quaking boy as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Slowly, his face contorted into a sneer. His lips twitched upwards in a forced grin as he cracked his knuckles, a small explosion setting off on his palm as he tested his quirk.

"Still pretending to be a hero, huh? _Deku._ _"_

The boy on the ground hastily scrambled up to his feet, before running away without so much as a backward glance. The poor, green haired boy was left all by himself, sweat dripping down his brow as he stared into three pairs of menacing eyes. Green eyes swam with tears as the small boy let out a terrified squeak, his feet rooted to the spot in fear. The gang didn't waste a second and with a fierce howl, they closed in on him, fists clenched and drawn back.

Silky, black hair cut through the visible curtains of heat.

"Smaaaash!" a young Kurumi yelled, tackling the ringleader of the bunch into the ground in a messy tangle of limbs.

"Wha…" Red eyes blinked up at the sky. The spiky haired boy was on the ground before he knew it, too stunned by the sudden impact to counter in anyway. His two lackeys blinked stupidly at their fallen leader, apparently at a loss of what to do.

"Ruuuuuun!" Kurumi shouted, snatching the terrified boy's hand and together, they ran as the bullies gave chase indignantly, but a little too late.

"Hey you! COME BACK HERE!" The spiky haired boy howled as his fists cackled with explosions, "DEKUUUU!"

Panting, the two children ran for what felt like forever. They ran until their gasps came out in short huffs. They ran until their lungs screamed for air. They ran until their legs started to give out under them. Finally when they could no longer see the bullies behind their backs, only then did they dare to halt. Together they stumbled onto their backs on a field of grass where a small river snaked down the middle, their lungs straining to take in oxygen as the sun winked, unbearably hot and bright in the evening of that mid-summer day.

"That'" Kurumi panted, "was awesome!"

The green haired boy next to her groaned, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish, his lungs still pining hungrily for air as every muscle in his body protested at the excessive use.

"Who…?" he managed to get out as he weakly stared at the girl.

"My name is Kurumi," she garbled, "Your name's Deku, right? You were so cooooool back there!"

"W-wha..? N-noo! Deku's a nickname Kacchan uses to make fun of me! I-I'm Midoriya Izuku.. U-umm.. Thank you for saving me back there!"

Scrambling to his feet, the green haired boy gave an awkward bow, his eyes tightly closed and hints of red coloring his freckled cheek.

"It's only natural for a hero to help others in need!" Kurumi nodded sagely, arms crossing over her chest as she proudly puffed it out, "Besides, you were way cooler! Standing up to three bullies like that! You were like All Might! Always up against like, like a lot of villains! _A hero can always get out of a pinch_!" Her voice attempted to mimic the gruff, deep rumble that was All Might's voice, eyes sparkling and head held high.

"M-m-me?" Izuku shrieked, his freckles becoming invisible under the intense blush that spread to his face. He frantically looked around out of habit, hoping no one had heard and then he turned to look at the girl who had given him praise that no one else had ever done.

" _I'm sorry..Izuku! I'm sorry_ _…_ _._ _"_ His gaze darkened slightly at the memory.

"I'm nothing like All Might," he mumbled meekly, scratching his cheek, "but th-thank you..."

Sparkling eyes, met pools of dark green and Midoriya Izuku blushed at the brief eye contact, looking down at his feet. She had heterochromia, he thought absently. One eye coal black, while the other burned a soft amber. They were very pretty eyes. And such a pretty girl was telling him that _he was like All Might_. Izuku's blush deepened. Anybody else would have laughed at such a notion, but her eyes were filled with an earnest truth, and sparkling with the promise of a distant future.

"Why noooot?" the girl frowned, leaning into his face and Izuku squeaked as he retreated further and further into his shell, not at all used to the proximity of another face.

"Well.." Izuku mumbled as he sneaked a quick glance at the girl in front of him. Her eyes were so fascinating that he found himself looking back at them again. "Well…" he squeezed his eyes shut.

"I don't have a quirk and I'm always being bullied by Kacchan. All Might isn't weak. He punches all the bad guys. But… but I'm just Deku. Kacchan said, Deku means quirkless, useless… I, I can't do anything by myself…" A sense of bitterness arose as he mumbled, words tumbling out of his mouth. His hands fidgeted with the sleeve of his dirty shirt as his head ducked under, eyes blinking furiously with unshed tears, drilling holes into the grass.

The words tumbled out of his mouth, and even though he had just met the girl, her eyes had a calming effect that made him spill. All of them were words Kacchan had used against him. He had always tried hard not to let such words affect him, always with a big smile plastered on his face because Kacchan was his friend too. But they came now, unbidden from his mouth like a massive wave as if those words had been engraved into his heart. Everyone around him, even his mother; the world around him had literally been telling him to give up his dream of becoming a hero. Because he was quirkless. Because he was weak.

His heart had always yearned for it, as if telling him that it was what he was born to do. But if even the adults of society were telling him to give it up, he wondered if he, just _little, useless Deku_ had any chance at all to show them wrong.

And now that he had told her he was without a quirk, she too, like the rest of them would…

"But you just did, didn't you?" pitch black and warm amber gazed fiercely down at the startled emerald of Izuku's eyes.

Izuku blinked, "Huh?"

"You don't need a quirk to be a hero, y'know. Daddy told me that all you needed is a selfless heart. And how you stood up for your friend today, that was pretty selfless," Kurumi gazed at the shy boy in front of her, "You're not useless. You made a difference."

"You really think so?"

Hopeful, green eyes were met by a warm, fiery gaze. A child, who harbored an honest dream perked up, peeking out tentatively from behind closed curtains. His childish hopes soared as the black haired girl blew on the dying embers of his heart. All children had hopes and wishes of their own, no matter how childish it may be and in a world where dreams could become reality, all it took for young Midoriya Izuku to dream again was the simple words of a girl he had met on that sunny summer day.

"Besides, Deku also sounds like the word for _you can do it, right?_ " the Sun began to set, the brightness silhouetting her tiny frame and warm amber so much like the Sun behind her, sparkled with the hopes and promises of a future.

And Midoriya Izuku's eyes reflected those sparkles, those brilliant dazzling lights, shining with determination and life.

"I want to become a hero," he claimed. It was a statement that vibrated the very marrow of his bones, giving it warmth that he had never yet known, "I'll definitely become a hero."

* * *

 _Another long day it had been. Aizawa Shouta rubbed his bloodshot eyes as he fished for his keys from his pockets, his back hunched as he opened the door to his small home._

" _Daddy!_ _"_ _A blur of black barreled into his stomach and Aizawa gave a nonchalant oof as he scooped her up into his arms, already used to her antiques._

" _Hello, princess,_ _"_ _he mumbled touching her forehead with his._

 _After his long day at work as a pro hero, his daughter would often pester him for tales of heroes and villains. But today, he noted with a smirk, it seemed that she had a story of her own to tell._

" _Listen daddy. Today, I met a hero!_ _"_

 **Hi guys. I've never realized it, but I'm beginning to** _ **see why people enjoy writing fanfics. I mean, just receiving two comments got me so excited**_ _ **. Ju**_ **st a few simple words are getting me so pumped! It's a wonderful feeling that there are people out there, somewhere reading the words I took time to write. Thanks for reading and thank you to those who gave me words of encouragement! It really means a loooot to me.**

 **So the next chapter is where things begin to pick up pace and we get into the main story. Thank you for having patience. Thank you again!**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Boy Born with Everything and the Boy Born with Nothing.**

A boy with spiky, blond hair threw a pebble expertly, watching it proudly as it skipped a total of seven times before sinking into the depths of the river. The other boys watched with amazement, applauding and cheering, and Katsuki Bakugo puffed out his chest in pride. It was _easy_. Anyone could do it.

Green hair tousled in the wind, his freckled cheeks crunching up in concentration and Midoriya Izuku mimicked Katsuki's movements with a stone of his own. Red eyes watched with slight delight as Izuku's stone sank straight into the water and he shrugged his shoulders as his friends laughed at the green haired boy's failure.

Oh well, maybe it wasn't easy for _some_ people.

* * *

"You know, Izuku can also be read as Deku, right?"

The kids around him drew a collective gasp,

"Katsuki, you can read?"

"As expected of Bakugo!"

"Kacchan, you're amazing!"

Blood red eyes surveyed the awestruck eyes around him that glimmered with nothing but respect, and Bakugo's heart swelled as he gave a nonchalant shrug, a smug smile spilling across his face.

"What, you can't?"

Fervent heads shook as they gazed reverently at their leader. Bakugo smirked, "And you know what it means? It means someone who can't do anything."

The kids laughed, leaving the green haired boy dumbstruck as the others began to chant, falling into a dance around Izuku, "Deku! Deku! Deku!"

Bakugo laughed alongside them, a strange feeling of satisfaction at the pit of his stomach, "From now on, Midoriya, you're called Deku."

* * *

There was always something, something that he performed with ease that the others could not. Especially Deku, who seemed to have a talent of failing spectacularly at everything. And Bakugo began to realize the growing difference between him and the rest of his friends.

Why couldn't they read? Why couldn't they do a front roll? Why couldn't they skip rope? Why didn't they know this? Why couldn't they do any of these things that Katsuki Bakugo found so easy?

And by the time when his quirk manifested, Bakugo found his answer.

The teachers and the kids had gathered all around him as he gave a demonstration of his newfound quirk, little sparks dancing across his palm. Izuku Midoriya was at the forefront, gazing starry eyed and mouth wide open at the colorful display. The teachers were praising Bakugo like they had never done before and the awestruck clamoring of the kids around him grew louder and louder, all of it melting into one incoherent bundle of buzzing sounds, beating against his eardrums… His red eyes gazed into the expression on Deku's face and he realized.

He was just that amazing. Katsuki Bakugo was simply born special.

His quirk was amazing of course because Bakugo couldn't be anything _but._ The sense of power it gave him was far too great and every day, he didn't waste a single chance to show off his amazing quirk. He particularly enjoyed watching Deku's expression shift with respect and longing every time he rubbed it in his face.

It wasn't just him though. Many other kindergarteners in their class were popping up, awakening to their quirks, and each time, there was always a commotion as the kids yelled and the teachers gasped. And with each time a new quirk was developed, Bakugo's heart swelled with pride because he had seen not a single quirk that could outmatch his.

The kids, the teachers, everyone; the world around him had nothing but praise for him, and his friends looked up to him with more respect as the days flew by. And Katsuki Bakug never felt more alive. The world was at his feet, the rest of the rabble clamoring beneath him and he soaked in this feeling of superiority. And when Deku was discovered to be quirkless, hah! Deku should just follow him from behind and be his shadow.

But one Summer day, everything suddenly went wrong. It was _him_ that had picked the fight first, not Bakugo. He wouldn't have done anything so long as the stupid guy had ignored them and went his way. But he had asked for it. Bakugo was just showing the kid his place at his feet with one of his fiery explosions when _Deku_ , the very _Deku_ , who couldn't _do shit_ , blocked his way.

"If you keep going, I w-w-won't f-f-f-orgive y-y-you!"

Bakugo stared, not comprehending before a vein throbbed in his head. Blood was still roaring through his veins, adrenaline pumping through his body from his very first fight with that _coward,_ who now lay cringing behind Deku's back.

"Pretending to be a hero, huh? Deku!" How could Deku stand against him, he thought furiously through the fierce pounding of his skull. Deku _admired_ him, right? So why was he _there,_ facing Bakugo, trembling like a scared little kitten?

Adrenaline spiked as Bakugo grinned menacingly, showing all his teeth. Even if Deku was supposed to be his friend, if he stood in his way, he would beat him senseless.

And then…

"Smaaaaash!"

The spiky haired boy didn't know what hit him as something barreled into his side as he unceremoniously tumbled in the hot sand.

Blue, so much blue filled his vision and the Sun glared down at him as he stared up at it.

"Wha…"

"Bakugo?"

"Katsuki? Are you ok?"

The voices of his friends rang out with uncertainty and Bakugo's face turned red with embarrassment.

"Back off!" the spiky haired boy slapped his friends' hands away before they could help him up because he _absolutely_ didn't need it. He was Katsuki Bakugo. He _didn't_ need help! Why didn't they understand that?

"After them," he growled fiercely and they sprinted after the distant figures of Deku and another he didn't recognize.

* * *

"Aaaarrgggh! Tiny fists slammed against the wall, a deafening bang echoing through the alleyway as his quirk left a deep imprint on the cold, concrete wall.

He could hear his friends gulp behind his back, but frankly he couldn't care less because they had lost Deku. That useless Deku had managed to outrun them! He pressed his burning forehead against the concrete wall, next to the sizzling holes his hands had made. The coolness helped a bit as the last of his adrenaline left his limbs and he could distinctly feel the coming of muscle ache he would suffer tomorrow.

Yes, tomorrow. Tomorrow he would confront Deku and make things right. Because Deku should always be behind him, praising him and respecting him, not going up against his face!

Bakugo cracked his knuckles before ordering his friends back as they trudged their way back home. Oh boy, was he looking forward to tomorrow.

* * *

It turned out that he didn't have to go through the troubles of finding their green haired friend. Because Deku came to him. Meek and awkward, his green eyes avoided his red ones as they ruefully raked the ground. This, now this was the Deku he knew, Bakugo thought grimly.

"You better be prepared for the consequences, _Deku_!"

Deku gave an involuntary shudder, as he stumbled backwards, "W-wait, Kacchan! I came to apologize!"

"Well, then! Let's hear it! Because I'm thinking you want out of my agency!"

"Why should you apologize?" A voice rang out clear and piercing. Red eyes blinked at Deku, for a moment thinking that he had made that retort before he herked his head back at the source that was so clearly behind him.

A snarl of menace died in his throats as red met mismatched eyes. One coal black and one warm amber, bore holes into his blood red, and Katsuki Bakugo felt all his rage drain down the hole as the girl in front of him scrutinized him.

Butterflies began to dance in his stomach as he held her gaze, and his cheeks suddenly felt warm. Because this was the first time in Katsuki Bakugo's life that he ever wondered how someone could be so pretty.

Bakugo blinked, his breath caught in his throat. She stormed past him, shoulders colliding and shoving him aside. She grabbed Deku's hand as amber and black glared daggers at Bakugo and his friends.

"You don't have to apologize to these bullies! Deku, you did nothing wrong. Come on, let's get out of here!"

"N-no! Kurumi, I-I don't want to be kicked out. Kacchan is my friend!"

"I'm your friend now! So _come on!_ _"_

"I won't kick you out, Deku." Two pairs of eyes jerked swiftly his way, one in surprise and another flickering with annoyance.

"Only if she joins us too." Bakugo grinned, his hands stretching out for her to take it. Maybe not the best first impression, but he would show her. Show her just how amazing of a person Katsuki Bakugo really was.

"Huh? No, I don't _want to,_ _" E_ yes narrowed, she scowled at Bakugo, but Bakugo felt no anger from that. Strangely, he thought the expression on her face looked kind of cute.

"Oh please, Kurumi! I don't want to get kicked out!"

He could already see the gears turning in her head as she hesitated, eyeing his hand warily. Oh _come_ _on!_ It wasn't as if Bakugo was going to bite her or something.

"Please, please, please!" Green, watery eyes pleaded at the black haired girl and that seemed to become the deciding factor as her expression relaxed, morphing into an exasperated smile as she relented with a sigh.

"Fine… Fine!" She caught Bakugo's hand in a vice like grip, her intense stare lighting a fire in the pit of Bakugo's stomach. "My name is Kurumi Aizawa."

Well, well. It seemed he had been wrong on one account. Deku _could_ be useful sometimes. A wide smile split his lips as he returned her grip with a squeeze of his own.

"The name's Katsuki Bakugo. Welcome to the Bakugo Hero Agency!"

* * *

Everything was fine. Everything _had_ been fine.

It had been a year ever since Kurumi joined what he liked to call the Bakugo Hero Agency. Everyone was his sidekick, while he had granted Deku with the honor of being the janitor of his office. And Kurumi was his hero partner.

"Forward, agents of the Bakugo Hero Agency!" As always Bakugo was leading his group, all of them shuffling into an obedient line behind back.

His friends behind him cheered and he could hear Deku squeak as well at the very rear of his line. He had made sure Deku would be the last in line for a reason.

His back straightened, chest puffing up as he sneaked a glance at the girl behind him, only second in line. His partner and closest associate as he liked to think. Eyebrows creased a little when he found her bored expression and he huffed as he continued his little march through the woods.

"Forward, agents of the Bakugo Hero Agency!" He cried once more and the others chanted after him. He could hear Deku squeaking it in his shrill voice before he messed up his lines, tongue tied in his typical _Deku_ way. _That's Deku for_ ya, Bakugo thought with mirth. He attempted to share a grin with Kurumi, but all he got were raised eyebrows and he quickly looked away. He tried to ignore the pang of disappointment. _Didn't she find that funny?_

"Don't worry! Just follow me!" He should show her his dependable side, he decided. He could already imagine her being impressed with him, clinging to his arm..

"Bakugo! You are so brave!" she would say and Bakugo grinned at the thought.

Clambering onto the log that acted as a makeshift bridge over the gentle river that flowed below, Bakugo marched forward enthusiastically. He risked a glance back and saw that the others were beginning to follow him and at the very front, Kurumi's eyes met his. And she smiled.

Bakugo had stared a little too long at that and it wasn't before Bakugo's feet found only empty air that he realized with a jolt. His stomach dropped and down into the river he fell.

"Kachaan!" Deku's voice rang loudest, his worry apparent, while Kurumi burst out in a fit of giggles

" _Bakago_ , that was hilarious!"

"Don't worry!"

"He's totally fine because Bakugo is strong!"

His friends crowded around at the spot where the spiky haired boy had fallen, gazing expectantly down the clear surface, waiting for their leader to come up.

Bakugo could hear the ringing laughter of Kurumi and he wished he could bury his face into the ground as a blush bloomed on his cheeks.

 _Hell, that was embarrassing!_ He tried to play it off as if it was nothing. Because cool guys were always nonchalant. He pushed himself up, trying to put on a confident grin on his face as he gave a thumbs up to his friends.

And then-

"Kacchan, are you ok? Can you stand?"

His red eyes twitched as Deku reached out a helping hand. From the corner of his eyes, he could see her, looking at them warmly as a small smile graced her lips. No, not them. _Him_. Black and amber gazed ever so fondly down at the boy that stood over Bakugo…

A growl left Katsuki's lips as he stood up, slapping Izuku's hand away. Of all the things, he had been seen on the ground while Deku was standing over him!

Just who did Deku think he was?

A green haired boy gazed in true concern at the subject of his admiration. Red eyes stared up above at the curtain of black hair and mismatched eyes, black and amber looked only at tousled green.

And Katsuki Bakugo frowned.

* * *

Three middle-schoolers talked and laughed as they picked their way through an empty alleyway. Well, two talked while one stalked forward, shoulders hunched and eyes narrowed.

"Hey, Katsuki. Aren't you and Midoriya childhood friends?"

"You went a little too overboard today."

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"I… I…"

Brief and distant. A distant image of warm amber and a deep, deep black flashed at the back of his mind and he growled.

The cup he had been drinking from exploded upwards in a fiery plume of orange and he threw the trash away as he kicked a plastic bottle irritably into a nearby pole.

"He's the one getting in my way! He's an idiot dreaming like a kid. Watching him makes me pissed off!"

His two friends shook their heads in exasperation and one of them, Itoru suggested.

"So wanna go to the arcade we found yesterday?"

"Count me in. You coming or what, Bakugo?" the other one, Satoshi said.

Bakugo muttered an approval as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. His eyebrows rose.

His friends were suddenly frozen stiff and Itoru's fingers elongated, pointing at something behind his back.

"Hey, look.."

His head jerked back and he saw green, so much green.

"An invisibility cloak with a great quirk!"

* * *

For Bakugo's entire life, eyes with admiration had followed him around, clinging to his form wherever he went. He had loved it, almost lived for the attention before he met her.

Black hair that tumbled behind her back, her bangs combed neatly to one side, while a few rebellious strands swayed playfully on her face. Pale skin, small nose and very, very pretty eyes. _Look at me._ His red eyes had commanded. _Look at me and me only_. Silent words that hung, vibrating in the air with a weight of its own. Always present, at the tip of his tongue, but never trully heard.

She never once looked his way.

Why? He thought hazily through the smoke and chaos.

Why, why, why did her eyes reflect only green? That familiar feeling of inferiority welled in his heart. Pride crushed it all down and Katsuki Bakugo retaliated in the only way he knew how.

What did Deku have that he didn't? He had everything and more. Deku was just Deku. So why?

A fierce roar split the air as his explosions engulfed that color of disgusting tea green. Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting!

"YOU FUCKING TRASH!"

Explosions, more explosions shook around him, ears ringing and heat searing and the low growl only purred into his ear with pleasure.

"Just a little more…" it whispered.

Useless, useless! Why weren't the heroes doing shit? He choked on disgusting muck, windpipe constricting and he howled again, fighting against the slime-like villain. Explosions raked through his every pore. He refused to be done in by some sewage!

But he was nearing his limits, the green muck-like villain relentless, as he slowly but surely engulfed Bakugo in his wet grip.

Katsuki Bakugo had never felt fear his entire life. But as the slime slowly began to wriggle into his nose and mouth, there was that one second when his confidence wavered. At this moment, in that one instance where uncertainty clouded his pride, his eyes betrayed him.

"Kacchan!"

Hands scrabbled at the sickly fluids that was his prison and the hold on his mouth weakened. Bakugo's lungs were grateful for the air as they swelled, bursting, panting… And he gasped, unbelieving at the boy in front of him.

"What the fuck are you doing, Deku?"

"You, you looked like you were asking for help," Eyes filled with fear and unshed tears looked into his wide, red eyes. He was a nerd, he was _such_ a nerd and yet…. A voice, an echo from the past whispered, flashes of amber on that one rainy day.

"Hey, _Bakago_. Deku _can_ become a hero."

He bit his lips.

The slime-like villain reared its ugly limbs, the heroes yelled in horror and Izuku Midoriya closed his eyes. All Might threw a mighty punch with a deafening roar that split the sky and green goo exploded upwards from the sheer force. Chaos reigned.

Smoke cleared, the clamors died down and Katsuki Bakugo lay on his back. Cloud began to swirl in the grey sky above and it began to rain, little droplets that pelted his face, mingling with tears of frustration and something more. It reminded him painfully of that rainy day two years ago when a black haired girl had left his life forever.

* * *

 _Rain poured in tumults, beating mercilessly against the ground, the sand only being able to soak up so much before puddles began to form on the park grounds. Feet splashed in those little pools of water, the surface rippling and distorting as Katsuki Bakugo skidded to a halt. His usual spiky, blond hair had been beaten into submission, sticking to his face as wave after wave of rain poured down, down, down.._

 _And then he saw them._

 _He had never seen them like this before. Kurumi and Izuku. He only saw, could not hear, his ears deafened by the wailing of the wind and rain. Deku's usually relaxed face was crunched up in a scowl and Kurumi was on her knees on the ground, long hair plastered to her face. She said something and he couldn't see well, but he saw Deku's fists clench._

 _Bakugo growled, "Oh no, you don't."_

 _He was running, his own fists clenched, prepared to beat the little shit, Deku into the ground when.._

 _Long black hair flowed with life of its own, twisting, turning and curling upwards as Kurumi stumbled to her feet. And then there was light._

 _An amber eye burned with fire, so much fire as it shined in all the hues of the rising Sun._

 _And Bakugo stumbled to a halt as Deku was flung back from her by an invisible force. A stunned silence as the world seemed to hold a breath of its own, a heartbeat passed and then._

 _Deku ran. And only Bakugo and Kurumi remained in that desolate, dark park._

 _Trembling, she was trembling. And Bakugo wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the tears that discreetly mixed with the rain as they cascaded down her cheeks._

 _His heart missed a beat as glowing amber found his form and then, her floating hair fell like curtains around her, her knees giving away as she stumbled._

 _It was like a spell had been broken, and Bakugo caught her as he gently lowered her onto the wet ground._

" _Stupid, stupid, stupid." He scowled as he felt her shiver and he tore his jacket off, wrapping her securely in it. Her hands were cold to the touch, her pale face clammy, tinged with a sickly green and her amber eye continued to pulsate with light as it flickered in his face. Bakugo pushed her long hair to the side and Kurumi blinked blearily, one black eye gazing weakly up at him as she smiled softly._

 _He didn't like the look on her. She looked so utterly defeated and haggard, the usual sharpness and exuberance no where to be found. He shivered involuntarily as he cradled her in his arms and she twitched in his strong grip, her amber eye pulsating erratically._

" _What's wrong, Bakago?" she hiccupped, "You don't look too good."_

" _That's my line. Suddenly, I get this call from Deku saying something about you and accidents. And shit, I thought something happened to you in all this rain and.."_

 _Kurumi giggled weakly and drawled, "Stupiiiid."_

" _Shut up," Bakugo grumbled as he brought her trembling form closer to his chest and the black haired girl laughed weakly as she melted into his embrace._

" _Let's just get out of the rain first," he said._

" _No. Stay. Stay like this for a while, please."_

 _Red eyes blinked, "Ok."_

" _Hey Bakago?" She croaked._

" _Hmmm?"_

" _Thank you."_

Red eyes widened before they softened, and Bakugo chuckled, " _That's the first time you've ever thanked me."_

" _You're not so bad when you don't have your hot head."_

" _Is that a compliment?"_

" _Maybe."_

" _What did that nerd, Deku do to you? You're acting weird," the blond haired boy muttered, his red eyes flashing with intent as he gazed down at her, "What happened?"_

 _She laughed softly. But it was a laughter tinged with so much sorrow that all humor was lost in the wind and he stared as Kurumi began to cry again._

 _Bakugo panicked, "Hey, come on, Aizawa. About time you ditched the loser. Forget Deku. And just…"_

' _Come to me…' Silent words that never made it out of his mouth. They hung in the balance, precariously, teetering at the edge and Bakugo was grappled with uncertainty as his grip tightened around the young girl._

" _How many times do I have to tell you, Bakago? Don't hate on Deku. He didn't do anything wrong."_

" _Even now you're defending him?" he muttered bitterly._

 _Every time a fight broke out and every time Deku was involved, Kurumi Aizawa had never hesitated to take the green haired boy's side. And every time she did, it felt like a punch in the guts for Bakugo. And even this time it seemed, it was no exception._

" _Then, what happened?" he ground out._

 _Kurumi struggled from his tight grip and he relinquished it, his heart doing a little somersault as he realized their proximity and his face instantly morphed into a scowl, hiding his embarrassment well behind it._

" _Hey, Bakago." She stood up and Bakugo mirrored her, hovering uncertainly over her lest she fell again. One hand came to tightly grip his arm and amber glowed bright in the dark as it burned in Bakugo's red._

" _Take care of Deku, ok?"_

 _Anger and jealousy roared through his veins and he clenched his fists as he bit his lip hard._

" _Deku this, Deku that. You're starting to get on my nerves. What the fuck is so great about the damn loser anyway?" he hissed through clenched teeth._

" _Because he's going to become the greatest hero._ _"_

 _Bakugo blinked. A split second as the world around him seemed to screech to a halt and then he arched his back, facing upwards as he howled madly into the wind. Tears sprang up as the blond haired boy laughed, laughed like he had never done before. Deku, the greatest hero? Did she bonk her head somewhere? His shoulders trembled as his laughter tapered out to giggles and then he stopped abruptly._

 _Her strange amber eye glowed in the night with power and intent, and there was a seriousness to it that betrayed nothing but certainty._

" _You_ _…_ _are you serious?_ _"_ _Red eyes widened, his mirth just a few seconds ago evaporating as he snarled,_ _"_ _That piece of shit Deku_ _doesn't even have a quirk! What makes you think he can go pro, let alone the greatest?"_

 _Bakugo flexed his muscles, a bang echoing loudly even through the tumult of rain as an eruption of heat lit up in his palm, the sudden burst of light throwing Kurumi's features into sharp relief._

" _If anyone's going pro, that's going to be me, Aizawa! And if I go pro, there's just no fucking way Deku could beat me!"_

 _Kurumi laughed, a weak, dry wheeze that scraped through her throat and one hand came up to touch his cheek, a cold, gentle, carressing touch. And Bakugo's breath hitched, chills cutting deeply into his skin._

" _I'm sorry, Bakago. But Deku will become the greatest hero._ _"_

 _Anger, pain and so much jealousy. They had been friends for so long. It had been off to a rocky start, but it wasn't long before Kurumi Aizawa had warmed up to him. And with time, if he continuously showed her his amazing sides, he had always thought then, maybe she could see him in a new light._

 _A dry laugh left him and he felt so, so hollow. Everything he did, everything he tried over the years had been futile. Bitterness rose, rearing its ugly fangs and he roared._

" _What the fuck do you know about me? It's always Deku Deku Deku Deku! What the fuck does he have that I don't?_ _"_

" _I'm sorry, Bakago._ _"_

" _You don't know shit about me. You're not even interested! I'll show you, Aizawa!_ _I'll prove it to you and become the greatest hero of all time! And maybe then, you'll see Deku for the piece of shit he really is."_

" _Maybe_ _…"_ _she sighed, empty eyes gazing up at the stormy sky ahead._

 _And Bakugo's eyes twitched. Maybe? It wasn't a maybe! Anyone with two eyes could see the inevitable outcome! It was going to be him, not Deku! There was no competition! It was already fate set in stone if he so decided!_

" _What makes you so sure? He's going to become the greatest hero? He's a fucking pebble on the side of the road! Don't fucking joke around with me. Are you mocking me?_ _"_

 _There was so much hatred, hatred and jealousy that it couldn't be stopped. Not when he had these emotions for so many years._

 _And her amber eye continued to glow eerily through the dark, as if it were looking through him, piercing him, scrutinizing him like an x-ray_ _…_

 _Red_ _eyes narrowed at the pulsating light, as sudden curiosity hit him,_ _"_ _Hey, what is your quirk, Aizawa? After all the time we spent together, you never told me._ _"_

 _Kurumi winced as her hand cusped her eye weakly and she shuddered, "I think I have to go, "_

 _And she stumbled warily away. He didn't stop her. Maybe he should have or escorted her back home. Maybe he should have asked more persistently about what had transpired on that rainy, rainy day._

 _But Bakugo watched her go every step of the way. And as darkness slowly crept over her, as she shuffled into the night, Katsuki Bakugo made a vow._

" _I'm going to be the greatest hero, you hear me? You just watch, Aizawa! I am Katsuki Bakugo! And it's going to be the name of the number one hero! I'll show you!_ _"_

" _Good bye, Bakugo._ _" A small ball of amber flickered weakly between the thick curtains of darkness; it blinked and then it was gone._ _And only Bakugo was left in the desolate park. Small raindrops splashed onto his head as the worst of the storm passed._

 _That was the first time, he thought idly. The first time she said his name correctly._

"I'll _, see you tomorrow, Aizawa! Tomorrow, you're going to tell me everything! What happened here and what your quirk is!_ _You hear?"_

 _The words hung in the air, unheard, never reaching her and with nowhere else to go. The wind swept it up to the cold, grey sky above and Katsuki Bakugo never saw her again._

 **Hi guys. Wow, you stuck with me until the very end! This was a chapter that sort of blew out of proprtions and even then, I had to cut out a lot of stuff because it was getting messy and going all over the place. So Bakugo was a character that I never really liked or hated at first, but he's someone who grew on me as I fell more and more in love with the anime. Since Bakugo isn't the kind of character who you can talk to for a second and BAM, get all chummy, I've decided to take things slow. I tried at first to cram their entire story in one chapter, but gave up halfway through.**

 **So I decided that it was better to show their history and relationship in a series of flashbacks that I intend to sprinkle throughout the story.**

 **This chapter was shown through Bakugo's eyes and for Bakugo, the whole sludge incident and All Might arriving was probably a confusing, chaotic jumble of events. So naturally All Might took the backseat here, not to mention the sentimental meaning behind the entire incident. I don't really like copy/pasting scenes from the anime into the story so take this as my attempt at keeping those to a minimum.**

 **So...Did I get the pacing right? Did I portray Bakugo the right way? Should I be more descriptive? Was it enjoyable? I really, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart enjoy your reviews, so thank you guys soso much. Thank you again for reading! Please feel free to point out any problems you have with the story so I can improve on that and write a better story overall. See you again!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Good bye, my First Love.**

"It's ok. Everything is ok."

It was a gentle voice. In the heavy silence, those words soothed her ears as her heart swelled, fulfilled and beating. Like music, like a gentle pin-drop. Like sweetness dipped in honey. A single ripple ran clear across the still surface of water. It washed over her, soaking her up and engulfing her in a loving embrace...

 _Ah,_ she had missed this warmth, this ever so familiar warmth. Like falling into a pit of fire. Like her nose crinkling with the fragrance of flowers. Like light blinding her eyes..

She saw her again at the end of the world. A lop-sided, toothy grin that she had loved so, so much and had copied it as she made it her own...

"It's ok. Everything is ok." Her mother said.

And then, there was blood. Blood seeped from between her white teeth, from her smile… it trickled, then gushed, then poured in waves out of her mouth and Kurumi ran lest she be engulfed by red, red, so much red…

A strong pair of hands snatched her away. Strong, hard hands holding her neck and beneath her legs as dazzling white teeth flashed at her…

"It's fine now! WHY? Because I am here!"

And Kurumi screamed.

She struggled and kicked and scratched, desperate to get to his face, to tear that smile off his face…

"It's ok. Everything is ok." Words echoed, loud and ringing with clarity. _Her_ voice mingled with it, entwining, soaring, twisting… dainty hands that reached up to the heavens above… and the world shattered.

Strong arms snaked across her back as those words filled her ears, her mind, her heart. Because he, unlike her mother had never failed to keep his words. She knew this warmth, so very familiar. She sighed, her body relaxing, freed at last from another long nightmare and she happily snuggled into her father's tight embrace.

"Everything is ok, princess." Aizawa Shouta murmured.

She never once doubted him.

* * *

"I never asked you for help! And you didn't help me! Got it? I was fine by myself. You're a quirkless failure playing without a full deck! Don't think you can look down on me!"

"You damn nerd!" He roared those last words with venom as he turned his back furiously on the green haired boy. He didn't bother to wait for a reply as he stalked back the way he came, shoulders hunched and hands in his pocket.

That nerd… That shitty nerd! His hands curled into tight fists in his pocket as he ground his teeth. An image of a lop-sided smile and a flash of amber flickered at the front of his mind and red eyes gazed hatefully at the darkening sky..

" _Because Deku is going to become the greatest hero…"_

His eyes narrowed.

A familiar tightness gripped his chest and his breath left him shaky as he came to an abrupt halt. So what? An image of Deku's petrified face, shaking in his shoes surfaced in his mind and annoyance spiked as he kicked at a pebble by his foot.

He was just a goddamn pebble..

Uneasiness gripped him. He had to make sure… he had made it quite clear this morning to Deku that he would _kill_ him if he ever applied to U.A. but...

It wouldn't hurt to remind him again.

He let out a huff as he turned back again, his eyes gazing into the setting sun. He should drill it into his head so thoroughly that he wouldn't even dare to think of it. Don't apply to U.A., _nerd_. It's not your place. Never was and never will be. Deku was Deku. A dumb loser who needed to be told twice about everything.

 _"Deku will become the greatest hero,"_ a phantom voice sighed into his ear and he growled as his feet carried him back to where he and Deku had just parted ways.

Deku was _not_ going anywhere so long as Bakugo lived.

* * *

"I AM HERE!"

Izuku Midoriya squeaked in surprise as his idol screeched to a sudden halt in front of him.

"All Might? But what...how? Why are you here? You were surrounded by reporters until just now!"

A mighty laughter boomed from his muscular chest as he flexed his powerful muscles, "HAHAHAHA! Getting away from them was a piece of cake! WHY? Because I am All Migh-"

Blood spewed from his mouth and he coughed as he deflated back to his emaciated form. Izuku yelped as he jumped back at the bloody display.

Wiping the blood from his lips, sapphire eyes gazed sharply from sunken sockets. Drops of blue flashed at him and Izuku straightened up on reflex as the man he looked up to, his idol cleared his throat once more.

"Young man, I come with thanks, a correction, and a suggestion."

Izuku blinked.

"If you hadn't been there… If you hadn't told me about your life, I would've turned into a guy in a body suit who was all talk. Thank you."

Emerald eyes widened at the gratitude, freckled cheeks turning crimson as a hand came up to nervously scratch the back of his neck, "That can't be. It was my fault in the first place… I got in the way of your work, saying all those impertinent things even though I'm quirkless…"

Izuku fidgeted uncomfortably as All Might's gaze bore into him with intent and fire. The sun winked from behind the man's back and a memory flashed of a similar scene all those years ago…

"That's right. It was because it was none other than the timid, quirkless you at the scene that I was able to act."

" _Deku… It also stands for the word, you can do it, right?"_

"Top heroes have stories about them from their school days. Most of their stories have one thing in common."

" _You don't need a quirk to be a hero. All you need is –"_

"Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think."

For some reason, he was reminded of a scene from long ago. A four year old girl. A girl no older than him who had given him life and hope. That day had been like a fairy tale to him, just like the stories his mom used to read him. Why had he forgotten, that one precious piece of her on that beautiful, fateful evening?

"Young man.."

" _Deku…"_

"You can become a hero."

A gentle wind blew as All Might stood over him, the orange hues of the setting sun casting an ethereal glow around the surreal scene. The color, like that drop of amber he would never forget washed over them as the Sun shined its last rays onto the earth below. A familiar, gentle warmth filled him as tears flowed down his cheeks.

She was there in that one moment, right in front of him, more real and alive than she had ever been in his memories. And a lopsided grin split her face as dainty fingers caressed his cheeks. A phantom touch, forehead to forehead as coal black and warm amber gazed into emerald, conveying so much more than words ever could.

" _How do you know? How can you be so sure that a quirkless loser like me can become a hero?"_

Ah, it was simple really. It had always been nothing more. What she had believed in when no one else had. What she had seen in him that All Might had seen. What he should have done, the words he should have said back then…

 _Thank you for believing in me._

She smiled softly as she gazed into him and Izuku etched her face into his memories one last time. The girl who had barged into his life at the age of four. The girl who meant so much to him. The girl who was his…

 _Goodbye.._ His heart cried. _Goodbye, my first love.._

And her face illuminated in one last, dazzling smile like she had done all those years ago when they had first met. And with a small wave, she faded away. Warm amber melted into sapphire blue and All Might smiled as he spread his arms.

"I have deemed you worthy of inheriting my powers."

Huh? Izuku blinked through his tears. A twig snapped, ruining the moment and All Might's sharp blue eyes swiveled behind the green haired boy. There, just there around the corner. There was a snug, little spot a person could hide behind, and the perfect spot for eavesdropping. He cautiously stepped toward it.

No one was there. His sunken eyes surveyed the empty streets wearily. Nothing. Not a soul to be found.

Did he just imagine it?

* * *

"You've got to be joking with me. You've got to be _fucking_ joking."

Bakugo was running, All Might's last words ringing ever so clearly in his mind. _I have deemed you worthy of inheriting my powers._ And there was no way, no _fucking_ way as his heart threatened to burst.

How was that even possible? What did he even _mean_ by inherit his quirk? He had never even _heard_ of anything where you could give your quirk to another. His mind went into overdrive as he thought furiously.

" _Deku will become the greatest hero."_

The words were like cold knives that pierced his heart as he sprinted away from the setting sun. His heart turned to stone, sharp amber flashing in his memories and a sense of dread washed over him.

It couldn't be real. It just couldn't be!

And Katsuki Bakugo ran away for the first time in his entire life.

* * *

Ten months passed by in a flash. And it was time for the U.A. entrance exams.

Maybe Katsuki Bakugo had always known. Because no matter what he did to stomp Deku into the ground, he could never stop the little shit from blabbering on about his dream of becoming a hero. So it didn't come as a big surprise when he found the green haired boy, fretting awkwardly at the entrance to the prestigious school.

Of course he'd ignore Bakugo's warnings and apply to U.A.

"Outta my way," He watched with satisfaction as the green haired boy jumped, turning around and he saw the familiar look of terror that lurked behind emerald eyes.

"Ah! Kacchan!"

"Don't stand in front of me! I'll kill you."

"M-morning. Let's both do our best…" He didn't give him a second glance, eyes determinedly fixed forward. The nerd looked the same he always did. Did he really inherit All Might's power? He frowned. Because he sure as hell didn't look it. Maybe, maybe it had all been a bad dream. That sounded plausible... or maybe All Might had changed his mind and decided not to give it to him! Or maybe something went wrong during the transfer and Deku was the same quirkless nerd he had known all his life.

"Hey, isn't that Bakugo? Y'know, the one with the sludge villain?"

"Oh _yeah!_ He's the real thing!"

 _Rabble_. The common background characters. He should just ignore the small fries, he thought darkly as the mutterings brought him back from his thoughts about Deku. he could worry about Deku later. For now, he needed to focus.

Red eyes narrowed at the impressive, glassy structure that was the main facility for the fabled hero course. Giving a dry huff, he stepped into the main hall where the applicants were being led to. Nothing mattered now. It was time to kick _ass_.

* * *

Two hours later and Bakugo couldn't have been in a better mood.

He was sure he had aced the written exams. Now with it out of the way, the only thing that stood in his path was the practical exam. This was where they truly evaluated the applicants and specifically handpicked the very best. Only thirty six would be picked for the hero course and Bakugo could already see it in his mind's eye. He would pass with the highest score and Deku would have his ass kicked all the way back home.

After Present Micky or President Mikey or whatever the hell his name was (like Bakugo gave a shit) gave a brief orientation on the practical exam, Bakugo and the rest of the applicants filed out of the auditorium. They arrived at their designated blocks by bus.

It was a very fast process and by this point, Bakugo's hands were smoldering with excitement as he breathed in deeply. The students were gulping nervously at the impressive walls and an examinee from a tall tower overlooking them, informed them that the exam would soon start on his mark.

A sinister grin spilled across his face, his red, searing eyes drilling holes into the great steel doors hungrily as he strained his ears waiting for the signal.

Come at me, Bakugo grinned darkly. He would destroy anything that was in his way.

Nearby, a red haired boy with spiky hair much like his own slapped his cheeks as he fell into a ready position. His fists came together with a dull clang and he smiled a nervous grin.

The hair on Bakugo's arms stood up and he snarled at the unpleasant feeling, swatting at non-existent flies. Having realized the source of it, his red eyes glared murderously at a yellow haired boy next to him. The poor boy gulped at Bakugo's expression and apologized meekly, arcs of electricity cackling between nervous fingers.

A girl with orange hair directly in front breathed deep, one hand fisting over her chest. The other hand swelled suddenly to half her size and she flexed it, testing her powerful fingers. A little runt with purple balls for hair skittered past his legs and a burly guy with thick lips stuffed his face with sugar cubes at a ferocious rate.

They were all faces he didn't recognize, but they all looked like small fry. And in U.A. where the acceptance rate was almost one in three hundred, he doubted he would be seeing any of their faces again.

Bakugo grinned from ear to ear. Become my stepping stone, you losers!

"Still as bloodthirsty as ever, huh? _Bakago_."

Time seemed to stop. One second ticked by painfully slowly, dragging into the milliseconds and the loud clamoring of the nervous applicants around him died down as his world screeched to a halt. And Bakugo could hear nothing else as a heavy silence settled in, so still that he could have sworn he had heard a pin-drop...

And he saw her.

He would recognize that voice, that face anytime, anywhere. There was no way he could forget.

"You…you...!" Red eyes threatened to bulge out of their sockets as they widened to plates of saucers. His pupils dilated and a lump stuck in his throat as he choked. Words stuck to his throat and a vein throbbed in his head as his tongue refused to listen to his furious demands.

Silky, black hair tumbled to her shoulders in the same manner he remembered; the same pattern that Bakugo had etched indelibly into his eyes. A few years had given her more elegance and beauty. Her features had grown sharper, giving it a more womanly charm and his heart did a somersault as her eye seemed to analyze his form. But otherwise, it was the face he had known for so many years. The way she held herself, the way her eyebrows quirked in amusement, the way her nose would wrinkle whenever she felt uncomfortable… this was undoubtedly Kurumi Aizawa.

All of it was so familiar, so nostalgic. Her pale complexion, her small nose and thin lips were just as he remembered them. Her eyelashes were long, accentuating her black iris with its endless depth that threatened to swallow him whole.

Her long bangs fluttered in her face and he half expected to see the familiar flash of amber. But he was met with disappointment when he saw an eyepatch beneath her curls, covering it from view.

She had grown taller too, almost nearing his height.

His eyes roamed, gazing at her hungrily, eagerly drinking in her every feature and he felt so overwhelmed that he didn't know where to start.

A faint red appeared on her cheeks from the intensity of his stare and she was the first one to break the ice, her gaze tender and a small smile graced her lips.

"Ermm, long time no see."

The awkward atmosphere doubled in weight as the silence stretched. Bakugo made no indication that he had heard.

Finally, a hand twitched and the spell broke. The spiky haired boy stumbled forward, heart pounding and blood roaring in his ears. His eyes never left her fearing that she would disappear, like some shitty hallucination… and a tentative hand came up to poke her cheek.

The tip of his finger brushed warm flesh.

"You…You're real?"

A second, and another second stretched painfully long and all the while, red never met black.

And she slowly nodded.

His burning gaze flickered with hurt.

His thoughts exploded, words and emotions all jumbling up together as they swirled in a chaotic mess. And it confused him. How should he react to this? What should he feel? There was so much he wanted to say.

You look well.

What's up with the eyepatch?

You look very pretty.

What's your quirk?

What happened?

Where did you go?

Why did you leave?

But at the forefront of his mind rang clearest of all, the words of his aching heart.

I missed you…

"START!" Somewhere distant, a loud yell was accompanied by the loud bang of a gunshot. There was a stampede, chaos as the applicants all around them surged forward and their numerous footsteps quaked the ground, vibrating as it tickled the soles of his feet. It faded into the distance and still Katsuki Bakugo didn't move. Nor did she.

And the world was silent and they were the only living beings in it. Just like on that rainy, rainy day that Bakugo remembered so clearly as if it were yesterday.

"Let's talk after, _Bakago_. For now, we have a lot of catching up to do," Red eyes snapped up to her face as she spoke, jolting him back to reality. A black eye gazed distant at the fading dust and she gave him a toothy grin.

Eyes widening, her words cut clear and sharp through his hazy mind like ice, cold water as it sparked his memories. And with a jolt, Katsuki Bakugo remembered his origin, the fierce fire that commanded his life. _"I'll prove it to you and become the greatest hero!"_ His own words, years ago howled angrily in his mind, and the familiar build of heat ignited his fiery temper. He remembered his jealousy and pride. He remembered how it had burned and mutated into a fiery passion that bubbled hot beneath his skin. As lame as it was, that was how he had begun after all. That was who Katsuki Bakugo was.

Bakugo roared to life in a flurry of explosions, red eyes burning once more with murderous fire. He felt the words at the tip of his tongue that never left, precarious, hanging in the balance, and the familiar pull of uncertainty grappled at him. It was the same thing he had felt on that rainy day two years ago. Yes, nothing had changed, it seemed. Everything, all the pieces remained just where they had left them. Time had been frozen and now the gears were finally beginning to turn. He felt that it was the same for her too.

It was simple, just how he liked it. All they needed to do was pick up the pieces. And so, what he had to do remained unchanged. There was so much he wanted to tell her, so much he wanted to ask. But he had waited for two damn years. He figured it could wait a little longer. For now, he had an exam to take and then... Then, Kurumi Aizawa owed him an explanation, an apology and maybe, a nice, quiet dinner. So for now, he settled with this.

"EAT MY DUST!"

And he was gone, propelled forward by the force of his blasts.

"So barbaric," Kurumi sighed, but a fond smile touched her lips.

"It's good to see you too."

One hand came up to comb through her long strands, pushing them out of her face. Long, white tendrils of cloth came to life around her as her hair billowed upwards, buffeted by an invisible wind.

The cloth made of carbon fiber was a special gift from her dad, and it coiled comfortably around her neck, mingling playfully with her black hair. It gave her comfort and strength, and most importantly, it smelled like her number one hero. And with a fierce battle cry of her own, she sprinted into the battle center.

 **Hello~ ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, people.**

 **Long time no see! I'm sorry** _ **if**_ **you're disappointed, but** _ **I**_ **somehow ended up rewriting chapter 6 along with the next one. Sorry for those who already read it, but I expanded it a lot. And I hope it's to your liking!**

 **Also, just a quick notice, but I'm going to have less time to write because I have exams coming up soon. It's a big one and I can't afford to fail, so I hope you'll understand if I update slowly.**

 **On another note, I am shocked by the number of people who read this story, reviewed and favorited and followed! I was absolutely amazed and I thought there was some sort of mistake at first. Thank you for the support, my friends. You guys give me strength.**

 **So I uploaded this once before. Deleted it and I'm uploading it again. Hope you guys are not disappointed.**

 **Constructive criticisms are always welcomed, since it is my first story.**

 **Not a Date**

" _Deku! What do you wanna play today?" Black and amber drops swam with excitement as a small girl practically floated on air, chattering amiably to her green haired companion._

" _Ahahaha.. I think you should decide, Kurumi." Izuku Midoriya chuckled fondly at her bubbly attitude. They had only known each other for a month but they had grown unbelievably close. Closer than he had ever been with Kacchan._

" _You know what my new hobby is?" A toothy grin split across her face, ear to ear as eyes crinkled shut at his questioning gaze, "It's doing what Deku wants to do."_

 _The green haired boy jumped as his cheeks blazed, "Wh-wh-what are you saying?!" He yelped as his jumpy eyes darted anywhere but at her face. She playfully grinned, pushing her face closer to his and she gazed innocently up at round emeralds._

 _Izuku blushed redder than she had ever thought possible, almost appearing in shades of purple as the freckled boy wrapped his arms protectively around his face. One wide, green eye peaked out timidly from between the folds of his arm and she giggled as she playfully poked at his defenseless hips._

" _Oiiii! Aizawa!" It was almost comical how the wide smile on her face slipped off like a mask._

" _What ya doing?" A spiky haired, blond boy ran up to her and Izuku, his two sidekicks lumbering behind him obediently. Red eyes narrowed at the freckled boy beside her before he grinned jovially at Kurumi._

" _So we were exploring the woods and found something really cool!" Clearing his throat with authority, he stretched out his hand, "If you want, Aizawa. I can show it to you!"_

" _No!" Red eyes blinked dumbly at the sharp refusal._

 _Black and amber glared at him with hostility before the small girl hid herself behind Izuku's back. Poor Izuku Midoriya squeaked as he stood there in front of the dumbstruck boy, fretting in his shoes. His gaze was apologetic and meek as he mumbled a soft apology to the red eyed boy and he awkwardly twiddled his thumbs._

" _I wanna do what Deku wants to do," Kurumi whined from behind his back._

" _Then… then! Let's go see the cool thing Kacchan wants to show us!" Izuku's hands waved madly in the air, desperate to disperse this awkward tension._

 _He let out a scared eep when he saw Bakugo's red eyes round on him and they visibly darkened as they surveyed Izuku's fidgeting form, mood souring._

" _Deku…" Bakugo hissed as he strode forward, small fists grabbing the cuff of the stuttering boy's shirt._

" _Don't bully him, Explosion Face!" Small hands pushed him away, and Bakugo stumbled before his two goons caught him carefully. Cold, mismatched eyes glared aggressively at him as she put a protective arm over Izuku._

" _Hey! What was that for? And how many times do I have to tell you, Explosion Face isn't my name!" Bakugo yelled indignantly, pointing an accusatory finger."Call me by my proper name, stupid!"_

" _I don't know your name, stupid!" she retorted, sticking her tongue out._

" _What? It's been a month now! How can you not remember?"_

" _Don't wanna," came the sing-song reply._

" _It's Ba-ku-go! Katsuki Bakugo!"_

" _Ba-ka-go?"_

" _No, Ba-ku-go!" Small feet stomped on the ground in frustration in a fit of childish tantrum._

" _Okay, Ba-ka-go."_

 _Eyebrows rose in slight amusement. Shards of ice in her unforgiving gaze cracked and chipped as the telltale signs of a small smile twitched on her lips…_

* * *

The gentle rays of the morning sun trickled through the thin gaps of the curtain. A cool breeze held up the curtain with invisible hands, and fingers of light caressed its way, delighted into the still-dark room.

They twirled and entwined, joining and separating as they crept up to a peaceful face, still unaware and in a deep slumber. They hesitated, teetering dangerously over the edge and then, they splashed over his eyes, playfully poking and prodding.

Bakugo growled as the comfortable darkness behind his eyelids burned searing red. His groggy eyes opened before they fluttered weakly to the alarm clock by his bedside. And with a jolt, his red eyes flashed, fully awake.

"OLD HAAAAG!" A loud explosion racked the quiet household of the Bakugo family as the only son jumped out of his bed in a flurry of explosions.

"YOU BRAT! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT SCREAMING SO EARLY IN THE MORNING!" Another voice matched Bakugo's both in volume and ferocity as the house trembled.

"IT'S ELEVEN!" Bakugo roared back.

There was a pause, blissful silence that settled on the house for a brief instance and then, "OH SHIIIIT!"

"MY ALARM CLOCK IS BROKEN! I'M SURE I SET IT TO RING AT 9 A.M. BUT IT DIDN'T!" Bakugo screamed.

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU THROW IT AT THE WALL EVERY MORNING IT RINGS, YOU LITTLE PUNK!"

There was a loud shuffle, a muffled bang, followed by a dull thunk. Bakugo distinctly heard his father groaning in discomfort and then, heavy footsteps thunked louder and louder, coming his way.

A pause and then with a splendid kick that swung the poor door open, rattling feebly in its hinge, Mitsuki Bakugo barged into the room, hair haggard and eyes wild. She brandished a comb menacingly in one hand and a hair dryer in the other as she strode towards her son, breathing heavily.

"DON'T COME CLOSER, OLD HAG! I DON'T NEED THAT SHIT!" Even Bakugo could feel a jolt of panic at the storm that was her mother.

"PRAT! THIS MIGHT BE YOUR ONE AND ONLY CHANCE AT GETTING A GIRLFRIEND! GET YOUR ASS HERE AND DO AS I SAY!"

"LIKE I SAID! IT'S NOT A DATE!" Another explosion rumbled the house and Bakugo howled in part fury and part fear as Mitsuki cackled in triumph, an iron grip on her son's wrist.

Such was another day at the Bakugo Household.

* * *

Aizawa Kurumi stared at her watch. It was twenty minutes before the clock hit twelve. Bakugo was _late._ They had decided to meet ten minutes ago, but she still saw no signs of the angry boy. A big crowd shuffled past where she was and her eye narrowed, searching for any signs of spiky hair.

The black haired girl sighed as she cast another quick glance at her watch before letting her eye wander again. About three days had passed since the U.A entrance exam and she, like the rest of the applicants were sucking their thumbs anxiously, waiting for the results. She had tried to weasel things out of her father beforehand, but he proved surprisingly strict when it came to matters concerning U.A.

And now here she was, waiting for Bakugo of all people. He was still the same forceful, angry boy she had come to know. Two years had changed none of that. And as soon as the practical exams had ended, Bakugo had found her before she could even catch her own breath.

Smoke had still been bellowing from his hands, and Kurumi had felt the residue heat burning into her wrist as he held her tightly.

It had been simple. It had been straightforward. His eyes had been commanding, and there had been little room for arguments. There was no telling what Bakugo Katsuki would have done if she had ever refused.

" _Meet me tomorrow. 11:30. At the park."_

" _Park?"_

" _You know which one," Bakugo had rolled his eyes and Kurumi could only nod._

And so here she was. Kurumi sighed as she fiddled with her eyepatch, the coarse, cool fabric giving her reprieve from the hot, scorching Sun above. Legs splayed outwards as she gently swayed on an old swing.

Nostalgia filled her as she looked around the familiar park. She remembered this park. It was where she had first met Deku and Bakugo after all. It had become a sort of rendezvous point afterwards for the three of them.

But the memories of her time here felt like a dream, hazy and faded. Two years might have been a relatively short time, but to her, it felt like a life-time ago.

A gentle breeze blew, invisible fingers combing through her black hair, and the white scarf coiling around her neck tickled against her cheek as they rose upwards in a gentle waltz with the wind.

A memory of the past flashed brief and distant, and she carressed her eyepatch, a dainty finger following the flowery designs her father had clumsily sown into it. The whisper of a laughter filled her ears and she hummed, her mood soaring.

The swing creaked with rust as Kurumi swayed with the wind. Her heart fluttered with anticipation, and she leaned backwards, a coal black eye staring up at the clear sky above her.

Katsuki Bakugo would know, wouldn't he? About Izuku Midoriya. Kurumi frowned slightly, remembering just how she and the green haired boy had parted ways. But if she apologized sincerely, maybe, the green haired boy would forgive her eventually.

She wanted to recover their relationship, and if anyone could answer her questions about Izuku, it was undoubtedly Katsuki Bakugo.

Meeting up with Katsuki Bakugo in and of itself had been something to look forward to.

She hadn't really known what meeting up with Bakugo counted as and she had fretted in front of the mirror as a result, struggling over her choice of attire. And it had been a difficult thing to find the line between not appearing as too fancy and too casual.

And she could say safely, that the results were satisfactory enough.

She had on black boots with heels. Her slender, long legs were accentuated by thigh high, black tights that didn't show off skin, even though she just _loved_ the feeling of fresh air on her bare skin. She had grown conscious of her pale skin ever since elementary school because Bakugo Katsuki had teased her constantly that she looked like a ghost what with her pale complexion and long, black hair. The tights disappeared under a simple black skirt and a black t-shirt paired up with it nicely.

Her dad always said that a little more color would be nicer, but Kurumi had always preferred the color black over anything else.

If there was one exception, it was the white scarf, nestled around her neck. It was something she always had on her, no matter what clothes she wore. It was her companion, protector and her greatest weapon.

She rubbed her chin into the binding cloth and she imagined the rough surface as if it were the stubbles on her father's chin. Kurumi grinned.

"Hey, hey! What have we got here?" Kurumi blinked, her grin sliding off her face and her shoulders tensed as two men entered the park and headed straight her way.

They looked like university students. Grown men though they were, they leered down at her with unfriendly sneers and her breath hitched as they lazily sat themselves down on the empty swings beside her.

"You're pretty smokin' hot." The guy on her left complimented her. His front teeth was missing, and she saw his tongue slathering through the empty space as he gave her a crooked grin. A scar ran through the corner of his lip giving him a somewhat sinister impression, "What's a girl like you doing all alone on a fine day like this?"

"Got dumped?" The guy on her right guffawed. He had abnormally large feet- his quirk no doubt-and he stomped them into the ground as he chuckled stupidly. The ground beneath her shook with the force and the orange sand kicked up into an aggravated storm.

Kurumi coughed as some of it found its way into her lungs.

"Come hang out with us." The scar-lipped licked his lips, and his remarkably red eyes reminded her heavily of Bakugo's. But they weren't his. They paled in comparison to his. They had none of the intense fire, none of the blazing heat and the pupils were narrowed to slits like a serpent's and she saw only lust behind them as they roamed her body discreetly.

"I'm waiting for someone. Sorry," Kurumi said. Quietly excusing herself, she tried to stand up, but Scar-lipped grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. Kurumi yelped in disbelief.

"Hey, come on. It's going to be fun." Scar-lipped rolled his eyes.

 _Ok. That's it._

The special capture weapon around her neck hummed to life, coiling and twisting. But before she could do anything-

BOOOM!

The sand Bigfeet had kicked upwards paled in comparison to the hurricane that erupted around her now. There was a blinding surge of heat and Kurumi garbled indignantly as sand entered her mouth a second time.

She could barely see over the whirling sandstorm, but she could hear the screams. The panicked yells and shouts of the two men as they were bombarded by explosions.

A familiar voice roared, dripping with rage.

Red eyes flashed from behind the storm, a beast's howl that burst at their eardrums.

"Eeeep!" Instincts barreled over reason and pride as the two men scrambled to their feet. More explosions detonated behind them as they ran with tails between their legs and Kurumi watched with delight as a particularly big one caught their behinds and charred their butts black.

"COME BACK HERE, YOU FUCKERS!" Explosions rattled along his palms as Bakugo Katsuki slammed his fists together.

"You're late, Baka-go!" Kurumi coughed through the smoke, a hand over her mouth as she thumped her chest with the other. Coal black glimmered within the sandstorm, and she could see the dark outline of his hunched form.

"It's! Ba! Ku! Go!" The boy snarled and his form tensed, all but prepared to give chase and beat the retreating men into pulps when…

"Wait!" Pale hands cut cleanly through the smoke before they curled firmly around his arm.

"Wha-? Let go, fucking Eyepatch! I'll kill them!" Bakugo wrenched his hand free, but Kurumi caught him again and he stumbled before rounding on her with a frustrated growl.

"Let them go." Kurumi could only see a pair of crimson, burning eyes glaring at her from the smokescreen amidst them.

"But-"

" _It's ok,"_ Kurumi rolled her eye, "They didn't really do anything. I'm not hurt, see?

His shoulders relaxed slightly before he glanced back, gazing hatefully at the retreating backs of the two men before they turned a corner and were gone. Kurumi relinquished her grip, now sure that Bakugo wouldn't chase after them.

"Then' let's call the fucking cops." Bakugo growled furiously, "Shove those shits into prison!"

"You'll get in trouble too for using your quirk like that if the cops get involved," Kurumi giggled in amusement.

"Ugh.."

The fire dimmed slightly in his eyes, his mind working furiously for a different answer, but he found none and the tension left his body with a loud sigh as he gave up.

The sand settled. And a gentle breeze blew through them as the smoke cleared.

Kurumi didn't recognize the boy in front of her.

He was wearing skin-tight jeans and a simple, red buttoned up shirt, as well as an orange, jagged neck-tie to top it all off. His hair had been slicked backwards with gel, tidy and smooth, and it glistened dangerously in the sunlight. Red eyes twitched madly in their sockets and an unmistakeable red smudge appeared on his cheeks as Kurumi stared.

"Who are you?"

A vein bulged and the faint blush disappeared behind a scowl, "Don't mess with me, Aizawa." He growled behind bared, sharp teeth.

"Huh? I know that voice," A split second was needed to take in the bizarre sight in front of her and it wasn't long before laughter burst from her lungs almost painfully as she doubled over. "Pffff…Hilarious! Hahahaha! Just hilarious!"

"It wasn't me! It was that old hag…! That evil witch…!" Bakugo shouted furiously as Kurumi clutched her stomach.

"What? Your mom? You can't call your mom names like that!" She gasped out between giggles.

"I call her what I want, Aizawa!" Bakugo ground his teeth, his shoe irritably kicking at the sand. He slumped down onto the now empty swing beside her and smoldering eyes glanced at her sideways as he frowned.

Coal black twinkled with amusement back at him and Bakugo grumbled, his scowl deepening. "You look fabulous," she breathed. Bakugo twitched before he looked away.

"Heh, heh." A mischievous giggle left her lips. A sudden idea came to her and she whipped out her phone.

"Don't you dare…Don't you dare!" Red eyes bulged, realizing a little too late. Forever to be remembered, her phone captured a photo of Bakugo in all his raging glory. Bakugo screamed bloody murder and pounced on her with a howl.

Too bad Kurumi was expecting it though. Expertly dodging his flailing arms, a black eye twinkled with mirth as she tore herself from her swing. Rolling once in the sand, she kicked off into a full sprint down the road and slipped into an alleyway, determined to protect her masterpiece with her life and a mad dog howled as it bound after her, hot on her trails.

* * *

"Delete it."

"No."

"Delete it!"

"No!"

Kurumi hadn't lasted long. A small burst of explosion from Bakugo's palm was all it took to close the distance between them as he caught her with almost embarrassing ease.

But Kurumi could not give up this photo without another fight. She clutched her phone desperately to her chest as Bakugo tried to wrestle it from her grip.

He wasn't able to. And there was no way Kurumi could outrun him. It was effectively a stalemate.

"I'll make you a deal," Kurumi offered jokingly, "How about you take a picture of me too?" She winked flirtatiously.

Red eyes glared at her before they flickered thoughtfully and he seemed to teeter at the point of indecision as his mouth opened and closed. Kurumi blinked in surprise. She had fully expected him to start shouting and sneering at her again, so why was he looking like he was actually entertaining the idea?

"Fine!"

"Huh?" Kurumi was dumbfounded.

"What," Bakugo scowled, "If you don't want that, delete it!"

"Ugh…" Kurumi could not offer a better solution.

It was kind of awkward, just standing there in that dark, dingy alley as Bakugo took a photo of Kurumi. She couldn't begin to understand why Bakugo would want a photo of her in the first place.

 _But I guess this is fine?_ Kurumi came to terms with it. If that was all it took to protect this masterpiece of a photo, she would gladly pay the price.

Kurumi squeaked in surprise when Bakugo slammed a hand into the wall behind her. He leaned in and Kurumi had to lean away, but the cold concrete wall behind her back prevented her from doing so. A faint whiff of smoke tickled her nose and Kurumi felt her face go red as Bakugo leaned in further.

Too close! Too close! What was he doing?

"If you show that picture to anybody else, I'll kill you." He snarled into her ear.

"Of course! Of course! I promise!" Kurumi yelped.

His overwhelming presence retreated away from her as Bakugo gave a satisfied grunt and Kurumi's lungs swelled with purchase, letting in air that she hadn't realized she was holding back.

There was that faintly pleased smirk as he took one look at the image of Kurumi on his phone before he stowed it into his pocket. His cheeks appeared faintly red, though in the semi-dark of the alleyway, it was hard to tell.

A sudden notion struck her and Kurumi gasped.

"You beast!"

Bakugo's smile crumbled, instantly replaced by a scowl, "Huh?"

"You intend to use it as material!" Kurumi cried scandalously.

"What material?" Bakugo frowned.

"The 'f' material!" Kurumi whispered in a hushed tone.

"What weird shit are you on about now?" Bakugo frowned, clearly not understanding at all.

"How crude! You pervert!" Kurumi tried to elaborate, "You intend to violate me in your beastly fantasies! You intend to use that to-"

"Hey, Aizawa?" Bakugo cut in.

"Yes, Bakugo?"

"Just stop talking."

"Ok."

"You've gotten dumber in the two years I haven't seen you," Bakugo commented rather calmly.

"How rude," Kurumi pouted.

* * *

They had entered a small, cute café nearby, shocking Kurumi because Bakugo didn't seem the type at all to dabble in such things. Kurumi had expected more along the lines of explosions, shooting and running around. Bakugo continued to surprise her time and time again as he even pulled out her chair for her to sit. Although the scowl and his pushy mannerisms remained.

She giggled. Ever since they had first met, Bakugo always managed to surprise her endlessly. She had revised her opinion of him so many times over the years. From a mere bully, to someone tolerable, to an acquaintance and now a friend. Oh, how far the two had come!

After they had gotten their respective drinks, and were seated comfortably, Bakugo hadn't wasted a single second before his short temper had triggered him into a tirade of question after question. It hurt her head and honestly, no progress was being made.

And so, the three question rule. Choose them wisely Bakugo, for they may change your fate!

"Hah?" His hands slammed onto the table with force that rattled the ice in her drink and angry, red eyes burned. Sharp teeth bared and for a second, Kurumi thought he would eat her then and there, blood, flesh, bone and all.

"You disappear for two years, two fucking years and that's what you say? Listen, Aizawa! We're not done until you spill everything!"

Lips pouted as Kurumi prodded at her drink and she chewed at the end of her straw, looking at him glumly over the rim of her drink.

"Geez, what a spoilsport.."

"The fuck did you call me?"

"Nothing~"

Bakugo leaned back in his chair, his leg crossing over the other as he gave an irritated huff.

"So?"

"So? So what?" One black eye gazed innocently back at red.

"What the hell happened? What happened with Deku? Where did you go? Why did you leave? Spill EVERYTHING!" He growled and his fists slammed down onto the table again, his irritation spiking. A smell, not unlike wood burning filled Kurumi's nostrils as small trails of black trickled upwards from between his fingers.

"Geez, Bakago. Calm down."

"…"

Taking one last, long sip before setting the empty glass down with a dull thunk, Kurumi leaned back, arms crossing over her bosom as she sighed.

"Well, not much I guess? Before you came, I just had a little fight with Deku and that just happened to be the night my dad and I were moving into a new home in another district. It sort of slipped my mind, what with the mood and all."

"Liar." He spat almost immediately.

She was lying. Whenever she twirled her curls between her fingers like that and her eye was fixated above his eyes, at a small point on the forehead, that usually meant she was not entirely telling the truth. It meant she was hiding something.

How long do you think I've been watching you? Bakugo thought to himself. I know everything about you. A tinge of pride tickled his chest. It was probably something only he knew. Not even Kurumi herself might have been aware of it and it was a piece of her that Bakugo had greedily kept just to himself. He could bet anything that Deku didn't know of this.

"That's not the explanation I wanted and you know it," he hissed.

Kurumi winced, caught red-handed and found guilty. She had been avoiding looking at him directly as they talked, her eye flitting anywhere but at his face. But the game was up and she found her gaze glancing furtively back at him as he caught onto her lie so easily. And Kurumi straightened up on instinct in her seat as red, blazing eyes poured into her with so much emotion.

She could see it, the hurt and pain that lurked behind his fierce eyes. And it was like a dull punch to the guts as she was fiercely reminded of an abandoned puppy. She had, after all, just upped and left without even telling him anything. She winced inwardly, imagining the betrayal Bakugo must have felt after all the time they had spent together…

She owed him this. She owed him at least this much. She couldn't tell him everything. Not _yet_. Not _just_ yet. But at least, she could tell him, show him that one broken piece of her heart she kept just for herself and her sorrow.

Her words were barely above a whisper, but it was like thunder in her ears. And Katsuki Bakugo heard it as clear as day, those haunted words that spoke of endless sadness and hurt.

"My mom passed away."

* * *

It wasn't what he had wanted to hear. It wasn't what he had expected. All he had ever wanted to hear from her was that the long, long time they had spent together had meant _something_. That it held a place in her heart as much as it did for Bakugo.

And she wasn't lying this time though Bakugo wished she had, and he saw only pain, pain and exhaustion flickering in her black iris. The meaning of it crashed into him, bearing the weight of the world as her words rang with a dawning finality that left no room for anything else.

A haunted look marred her beautiful features and he stared as her finger curled over her eyepatch.

So many words, so many things went unsaid in that moment, and Bakugo swallowed a lump in his throat.

Had that happened on the very day he saw her for the last time? An accident? An illness? How had her mother passed away so suddenly? He knew her mother. He had met her once. He remembered her and she had been the most energetic person.

Even more questions bubbled in his mind, and he was itching for answers. A small part at the back of his mind was furious that Kurumi had not confided any of this in him, in Bakugo, her closest friend.

 _Her closest friend?_

Sea green eyes flashed in his mind, freckled cheeks and tousled seaweed hair and Bakugo forcibly pushed back the sudden spike of irritation. It was a color he had hated so much. He had always loathed how the prettiest black had reflected such a contemptible color.

Maybe Bakugo had simply deluded himself. Maybe he had been mistaken all along. What if she _had_ confided in someone? What if she _had_ told someone close to her about it? And what if that had simply not been Bakugo? What if that had been…

A memory of a certain rainy day flashed in his mind. He remembered it. That night. That park. That flash of amber and furious chips of emeralds.

 _Was that how it was?_

Bakugo shook his head furiously, his jagged teeth digging into his lips. No, he was jumping to conclusions. His searing gaze found her face and all of his thoughts, his rage, his questions crashed to a sudden halt because he realized that wasn't the point. What was important was that…

Aizawa Kurumi looked so broken. So frail. And his heart throbbed, wanting nothing more than to erase every visible line of misery etched into her face.

He licked his lips, and tasted something bitter. He resisted the urge to spit it out.

He should have ordered something sweeter than coffee.

His hands hovered uncertainly above her head as Kurumi gazed wistfully down at her feet. Should he pat her head? Should he…hug her? What was he supposed to say to her?

Fuck.

Comforting people had never been his strong suit.

* * *

Aizawa Kurumi glared at Bakugo's shoes from her peripheral vision. She felt her eye water and she knew it wasn't from having it open for too long.

" _It's ok, honey. Everything is ok."_ A voice from the past coiled gently around her, so loving and so very familiar before it dispersed. It faded into the air, reminding her so coldly that it was now long gone, an echo from the past and her heart sobbed as she dug her nails into her eyepatch.

 _Scratch. Scratch. Scratch._

It had become something of a habit for her. Two years had done the job to heal and though her right eye had long since stopped throbbing, her habit of scratching it still remained.

A rough hand clasped around her wrist strongly, preventing the movement and she looked up at the blonde boy, surprise coloring her features.

"Stop that," Bakugo grumbled.

Red eyes swerved sideways and he coughed awkwardly into his hand. He dragged her hand away from her eyepatch and gently splayed her palm upwards. Roughly digging into his pockets, he retreived two crumpled pieces of paper and he promptly stuffed it into her open palm.

Kurumi stared at the slips of paper in her hand. They were movie tickets.

"Wha-?"

"Movie." Bakugo blurted out with all the delicacy of a wrecking ball.

And yet, an uncharacteristically soft grip grabbed her arm and Kurumi yelped as he half dragged, half escorted her out of the café.

* * *

"Oh! Mon _amour_ , Julia!" A blonde man cried, hands stretching to the blue heavens above. "I will die for thee, oh the light of my life! So pray! Stay your maiden heart!"

"Oh, brave and kind Romulus from the distant lands! My heart beats only for thee and thee alone!" A woman cried.

"Julia!"

"Romulus!"

The two lovers embraced tightly, devolving into a mess of moans and hot, wet, slurping kisses. Everything was thrown into sharper focus by the large screen and Bakugo looked away, not believing his eyes.

Kurumi squeaked next to Bakugo, her face beet red. Her hands covered her face, but her eye peeked out tentatively from between the gaps of her fingers, as she took it all in. She jumped in her seat when Ikustak suffered a heavy wound from a mortal enemy. She fanned her face when the two lovers shared a bed. She broke down into a sobbing mess when they were separated.

Bakugo's eyes twitched as Kurumi repeatedly slapped his arm as she sniveled and cried. _What is your problem, woman?!_

But silently, his heart was glad. The sorrow that had hung around her so thickly had all but evaporated as she grew more and more engrossed in the movie.

But seriously what the fuck was this shit? Bakugo squinted his eyes shut as well as his ears, no longer able to tolerate it.

"IF IT'S A DATE, YOU HAVE TO BE A MAN!" Mitsuki Bakugo had roared as she shoved the tickets into his hand. "BEST OF LUCK, BRAT!" She had said before she promptly slammed the door in his face. And to think she had chosen a movie like this! The nerve of that woman!

And here he was, forced to go through the horrific torture that was this movie. At one point he had tried to leave, but Kurumi had incapacitated him, hugging his arm to her body as she squealed at a particularly exciting scene. Awkward was the understatement of the year, and it stung his pride that apparently Kurumi didn't share his embarrassment. The girl was too involved in the movie to care for his presence in anyway.

"That old hag!" He snarled, as his temper spiked and fists curled.

The movie theater was suddenly filled with panting and moaning as the movie took a drastic turn of events and that was the final push, as the explosive boy blew his lid. Katsuki Bakugo roared to the heavens as he stood up.

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE!"

The audience yelled profanities and complaints at the seething boy. Kurumi stood up too before she grabbed his shoulders and pulled her weight down on him, stuffing him promptly back into his seat. Her hand slapped his mouth shut ruthlessly before Bakugo could sneer, her eye intent, never ever leaving the screen.

* * *

"That was amazing!" Kurumi sobbed.

"Get your hands off of me, woman!"

"That… that was romance done right!"

"Fucking looked like trash porn to me!"

A black eye narrowed at the brutal comparison and she shook her head as she sighed, "You don't understand a thing."

"Hah? You sure you're not blind, Eyepatch? What fucking part about that was romantic, huuuh?! That was just straight up porn!"

"Just because they kissed, doesn't mean it's porn. Bet you can't see the difference since you've never kissed!" Kurumi huffed indignantly, arms wounding tightly over her chest as she looked away.

"HUH? I'll kill you! Don't act all high and mighty! You haven't either!" Bakugo scowled.

"You don't know that!" She spluttered.

"Kissing your pillow doesn't count, you know." He grinned.

"I _don't_ kiss my pillow!"

"Tssk, _girls."_

"Geez, _boys_."

With a simultaneous hmmph, Kurumi walked away from him at a brisk pace. Her back was ram-rod straight and her steps had a certain bounce to it that Bakugo knew she often did when she was angry.

With another huff that left his lips, Bakugo trotted after her sullenly. Hands stuffed in his pocket and his shoulders hunched.

* * *

They had a quiet dinner. Each stubbornly refusing to meet the others' eye as they ate in silence. When they were full, the Sun was already setting and the day was ending.

It had been such a magical day for Katsuki Bakugo. Just a few days ago, he would never have imagined this. Just this with Kurumi by his side again. He didn't want this to end. This moment. This instance. He wanted it to be something more than a fading memory as time passed and days grew old. Red eyes gazed hatefully at the setting sun, willing it, commanding it to go down just a little more slowly. Wait. Just wait a little longer.

The orange hues of the setting sun had sprinkled the sky into fiery embers. They danced and scattered, floating up and down as fiery dusts would from a whetted blade. The streets around them were dipped in the same glows of a warm fire as the dying Sun sowed its final lights onto the fabric of the world below.

Bakugo walked a little behind her, keeping his distance a little as they walked in suffocating silence. They had no destination in mind, just meandering without aim, without purpose. But this was fine too. It gave him a sense of lulling peace. Peace and quiet.

They hadn't really talked at all after their brief argument. And they continued to walk. Kurumi in the front, while Bakugo lagged a little behind.

Red eyes admired her back, fascinated as the orange glow of the setting sun played tricks on his eyes. She was alight in ethereal flames. The fiery colors entwined, coiling around her like a second skin and it outlined her form beautifully. Like an angel descended from the fiery Heavens, he thought. Bakugo's breath stuck in his throat.

"You're not going to come closer?" Kurumi stopped, hands cusped behind her back, head tilted upwards to the bloody sky. The sky was beautiful. Beautiful, yet so so tragic.

She turned now, the orange hues casting upon her a light shadow, and her eye twinkled in the shallow dark as they gazed into blood red eyes.

Bakugo looked at her, almost transfixed, the ever permanent scowl on his face relaxing a little as he grumbled, "You're not mad?"

"No. Not anymore." She sighed. And fondness rippled through her as Bakugo stomped to her side, finally closing the distance between the two. And as if a silent agreement had been made, they resumed their walk. Side by side. Foot by foot. Pace by pace. And Bakugo's heart swelled as the Sun winked, its lower lips kissing the horizon below.

"Were you keeping your distance because you thought I was angry?" She questioned.

"Wha…" It was like his cheeks had sucked up the red glow that hung like curtains around them. Bakugo blushed a fiery red and he struggled to control it, his face automatically contorting into a fierce scowl, fighting down the blemishes on his cheeks. "Huh? No, I wasn't, Eyepatch! Do you want to die?!"

A split second, an awkward pause as his yell echoed throughout the streets, bouncing, ricocheting, reaching to the sky...

The tension broke and Kurumi laughed.

It was a small giggle that started from the pit of her stomach. Then her shoulders started to tremble before her whole body shook with mirth. And now she was laughing hard as she doubled over, hands covering her face as she crouched, waiting for the moment to pass. And Bakugo looked down at her dumbly, shoulders hunched and hands in his pocket.

It was not unlike the sound of a bell ringing, and Bakugo found the sound pleasant and soothing to his ears.

The sun sunk into the ground a little more in the distance. The world was silent, save for her tinckling laughter and Katsuki Bakugo was inexplicably reminded of that rainy day. Just like then, it was just her and him. The only two that existed in a world, solely for them. But it wasn't like last time. There were no black clouds, no howling winds or pouring rain, no Kurumi who looked so heartbroken that whispered to him of sorrow and regret. Yes, it was a world where the Sun set, whispering promises of a new tomorrow. It was a world with a clear sky, gentle winds and most importantly, Kurumi was _laughing_. He liked this, Bakugo decided. He preferred this world over the other. This world reserved for just the two of them.

Him and her.

Kurumi and Katsuki.

Red eyes softened as they gazed distantly far, far away. A young spiky haired boy and a small girl with flowing black hair giggled as they ran, small hands entwined. Over the fence, across the crossroads, through the sidewalks, under the bridge.. Running, laughing, hands held, together into the distance, into the future as the Sun winked and they were gone forever.

But black stared into red. And red into black. And the past two years might not have existed at all. His heart beat its same fluttery rhythm and his scowl lessened as Kurumi smiled a lopsided grin. Yes, that must be it. They weren't gone. They never were and never will be. And he imagined that the young boy and girl were waving happily from beyond the Sun. Because Katsuki Bakugo had loved, still loved and would always love Kurumi Aizawa.

"Beautiful," A word escaped his loose lips as he gazed at her and his eyes widened at the foolish mistake.

Ah, too late. She heard. One black eye widened slightly between the curtains of her hair. A sharp breath left her lips and Bakugo would have liked to think that the red glow on her face wasn't entirely because of the Sun.

No turning back. _Come_ _on_ , the young boy beckoned. One step forward. And the next. One after the other. Baby steps into a walk, a walk into a sprint… And Bakugo's heart beat wildly as if he had just run a long, long distance. His eyes held hers and hers his. They reflected the glint of the setting sun and something more, as the moment held. The world, their world held its breath and everything stilled. Nothing mattered but that coal black with its bottomless depth.

Rough, calloused fingers cupped her blushing cheeks and Kurumi took a soft, quiet gasp as he leaned in. His red eyes stared into her, fires of passion and pride that rolled chaotic in his red irises.

They took her breath away with its fiery intent that threatened to swallow her whole. And she couldn't move. Dared not move for fear of losing herself in a blazing storm. This was Katsuki Bakugo, she realized. A boy, a little rough around the edges, but with a surprisingly gentle heart. A boy who was proud and blessed with talent. A boy she had abandoned two years ago.

Never did those two eyes falter as they bore into her.

And Kurumi was slipping, falling, falling into the depths of their fire... enraptured and fascinated. And she was briefly reminded of Romulus and Julia, of the two lovers whose love had prevailed, despite their many hardships..

She noticed the red tinge now apparent, dusting his cheeks. And she briefly wondered how she looked now, reflected in his passionate stare. She realized idly before her eye fluttered shut that Bakugo had quite the handsome face behind all his scowls and sneers.

And his fingers were tilting up her chin. And Bakugo was leaning down. Just like a scene from a movie. Just like how Kurumi had imagined her first kiss to be… A smudge of black. A splash of red. Orange hues of the setting sun. And he was Romulus. And she Julia.

Lips pluckered. Noses brushed. His breath on her. And hers on him. Closing the gap, just millimeters apart. Hovering a breath closer and a step further. And Bakugo's nose was filled with her scent as his lips brushed lightly against hers…

And then..

"Kurumi?" The spell broke. The last fiery embers of the dying Sun flickered out, drawing nothing but an orange line over the horizon and the world was plunged into darkness.

Bakugo blinked at the voice, the moment lost and Kurumi's eyes widened as she breathed, "Deku!" Black widened at the red, inches away from her face and she squealed, delivering a stunning uppercut to Bakugo's jaw as she jumped back.

* * *

"Kurumi? Is that you?" A green haired boy faltered, his emerald shining with tears as his hands gripped at the helm of his shirts.

"D-Deku…" Kurumi stuttered as she stumbled towards him. Her cheeks were still warm, her heart thudding, but her chest welled with a familiar feeling as she gazed once more into those glistening emeralds.

"I can't believe it… It really, really is you!" Tears broke loose, twin rivers that flowed down his cheeks as Izuku Midoriya laughed, hands clutching at his chest.

And their argument so long ago on one rainy night, seemed like something so petty, so small as Kurumi mirrored him. Tears flowed from her eye as the night cast its dominance over the world below.

One night, they were seperated and in another, reunited and the black haired girl ran towards him as Izuku did the same. They embraced, sobbing into each other's shoulders, only memories of the time they had spent together bursting like bundles of flowers in their minds. The fight they had upon their separation seemed so petty in comparison now in the light of this joy, this reunion. And in that one moment, two friends forgave each other completely as they hiccuped, unsaid words already understood even before they were said through the unbreakable bond between their hearts.

Aizawa Kurumi dug her face further into Izuku's chest. The familiar scent, the familiar warmth washed over her like water and she whimpered as her heart leapt with joy in her chest.

"I can't believe it… It really, really is you!" Izuku's voice muffled in her shoulder, as his arms trembled around her. Her shoulder began to dampen, his tears wetting her shirt as he choked and Kurumi stumbled as Izuku slumped against her.

Unable to support both their weights, the two stumbled to the ground.

"You…came back," Izuku wheezed into her shirt, "You…came back!"

Bright stars began to pop up in the dark sky above, and Kurumi was mesmerized as the little bulbs of light seemed to dance and sway. They coalesced into streams of light, the inky sky above flowing as if it were a river and they swam like fish in a pond as Kurumi choked on realization. It was her vision swimming, not the sky. And Kurumi struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.

"I'm sorry," Izuku croaked, "I'm sorry."

"No," Kurumi's voice trembled, but it had a firm edge to it, and she leaned away from him, cupping his wet cheeks to gaze into the beautiful emeralds she so loved once more. "Don't be. It's me that should be sorry."

"I… I always blamed myself for it." Izuku babbled thickly through his tears and snot, "I thought I drove you away because of what I said to you that day. And I felt so guilty every day… And-"

"I'm sorry, Deku." Kurumi whispered, the fragments of her broken heart breaking further as she desperately tried to wipe away the twin rivers that cascaded down his cheeks endlessly with her sleeve. "I'm sorry…"

"And Kacchan would keep on bullying me, telling me that it was all my fault you were gone and-" Izuku hiccuped as she rubbed at his eyes, and Kurumi gently pressed her forehead against his. It was something she had done to him often as a child whenever the poor boy had needed comfort. And Kurumi felt the tremors in his shoulders visibly relax as Izuku let out a shaky breath.

And Kurumi felt his breath on her as Izuku whispered softly, "Everything hasn't been the same ever since. "

"I'm sorry…" Kurumi repeated and her chest tightened, her mind swirling with a thousand things to say, but all she could say were meaningless apologies.

It was dark. A lamp post flickered and hummed to life, and the light it cast below upon the earth missed them by a few inches. And yet, she could see with the sliver of light, the emerald fires that burned behind his irises. Coal black stared into those flames, whispering, assuring him, gently, soothingly like a mother would to her child at the dead of night.

"It's not your fault."

And Izuku broke into a fresh bout of tears as he bit his trembling lips, shutting those beautiful sea green eyes as he attempted to staunch the flow. But it leaked, it leaked down his freckled cheeks and Kurumi caught it with her fingers, watching as it drew twirling patterns around her hand before it hit the concrete ground below. "Not yours. My fault," she whispered.

"Huh?" Izuku croaked.

"Something happened," Kurumi choked, and she flinched at the vivid memories of one rainy night. She rubbed viciously at her eyepatch as a sudden itch spiked, and her breath left her shaky as she gazed distantly into the growing dark, "Something bad. And I had to, I-I had to-"

 _It's ok, honey. Everything is ok._

The itch rooted deep within her eye throbbed viciously as she dug her fingers into her eyepatch, and the shadows swired around her, clashing, forming and breaking. She winced as it all converged upon her, crushing her to the ground, weighed down by so many worlds, so many memories, so much pain. And empty emerald eyes devoid of fire and filled with death came to the canopy of her mind and her breath left her in a gasp as she slumped forward into Izuku.

"K-Kurumi?" Izuku shouted in horror as the black haired girl wheezed.

 _Here now. He was here now. Not dead. Alive._

Kurumi struggled to control her breathing as she felt Izuku clumsily draw circles on her back, whispering to her sweet words of comfort. And Kurumi felt her senses tingle with all the warmth they drew from the green haired boy in front of her. His smell, his words, his touch…and Kurumi felt her heard recede to steady rhythms and the itch faded ever so slightly as she took a calming breath through her nose.

"Sorry," She croaked, "Sorry."

"It's ok," Izuku whispered comfortingly, "Everything is going to be ok."

 _It's ok, honey. Everything is ok._

Kurumi shivered. What Izuku said was so painfully familiar.

"You don't have to force yourself to tell me, Kurumi." Izuku continued to whisper comfortingly into her ear, "I'm just glad you're back…."

A coal black eye twitched in the dark as Izuku drew her into a tighter embrace and Kurumi was limp in his arms as she stared up into the starry sky over them. The stars. Oh, how she hated the stars.

"You came back," And Izuku gently leaned away from her, holding her shoulders back softly as Kurumi tried to lean back into his warmth. His finger caught the singular tear that rolled off her pale cheek and emeralds softened with kindness and love…

"You're here and that's all that matters."

Kurumi's eye widened before another tear escaped her eye. And another. And another.

Truly, surely. Izuku Midoriya would become the kindest hero there was. And he would become the greatest for it.

Her shoulders trembled, as the tears she had been holding back for two years finally broke loose. Streams of sorrow flowed from her eyes, wetting her eyepatch and falling off her chin. And Kurumi wept, cried away the bitterness and sorrow that had accumulated, unaddressed during the past two years

"Welcome back, Kurumi." Izuku whispered.

And Kurumi mustered the biggest smile she could through the curtains of sadness. Izuku stood up, a hand stretched toward her in a silent offer. The streets, the alleyways, the roads, all around them were silent and yet, all of it were dipped in the gentle memories of three little children. Nostalgia weaved upon it, silky patterns of warmth and Kurumi felt it once again from him, and all around her, the hopes and dreams for a better tomorrow as Izuku smiled the brightest he had ever done. And Kurumi knew she was back at long last, back to where she truly belonged.

"I'm home, Deku."

And a hand slipped into the palm of another, two friends reunited once more, the unbreakable bond between their hearts realized again.

* * *

Bakugo trudged home quietly, the darkness his only companion as it coiled almost comfortingly around him. He rubbed his chin absent-mindedly where she had dealt a fine blow. It wasn't more of the physical pain that hurt him. But that joy, that almost childish look of happiness in her eye as she had embraced Deku.

His red eyes gazed dully at the dark clouds above. He had always known. It had always been a one sided love that would never come to fruition. Because no matter how much Katsuki Bakugo loved Kurumi, Kurumi Aizawa had always looked at Deku from the start. She had never looked once his way, so why had he fooled himself into thinking this time was any different?

That damned nerd with his perfect timing.

"Deku…!" He was just a pebble, a damned pebble. But in Kurumi's eye, Deku had always been the main character and he…was just an extra.

His hands punched the wall, a small boom echoing that left a satisfying crater on the concrete wall.

He frowned, a sickening feeling rolling in his stomach. To Kurumi, Deku had always been her number one. Always had been, always will be.

" _I'll show you, Aizawa! I'll prove it to you and become the greatest hero of all time!" A_ vow he had made on that rainy, rainy day repeated incessantly in his ear and Bakugo stumbled, idly wondering if he had only signed up for a game that had been lost from the very start.

Red eyes glanced back at the empty street behind him.

"Fuck," he muttered because for one moment, one hopeful moment, he thought he had seen a black haired girl running after him.

His red eyes narrowed as they raked the empty, desolate streets. Already, his eyes were subconsciously searching for Kurumi as if expecting to see her coming after him any time. He wanted to be found, Bakugo realized. He wanted to be held back, to be shown that that brief, but sure brush of the lips hadn't been a figment of his imagination.

" _Where did you go, Ba-ka-go? Don't leave without a word and worry me like that!" She would say, playfully slapping his arm. And coal black with its bottomless depth would reflect his red, twinkling, sparkling and she would give him a warm smile…_

Bakugo had his hopes. But he knew it was nothing short of foolish. With a small self, deprecating snort, his red eyes hardened as he resumed his walk back home.

Because to Kurumi, he was just that. A friend who had a nasty temper and a swollen pride. Nothing more.

An image of of his mom flashed in his mind, brandishing comb and hair dryer. And he scowled, a hand coming up to ruffle the perfect, tidy hair Mitsuki Bakugo had made it into. A few strands loose was all it took for his hair to break free from its cage and it exploded upwards in all its spiky glory.

"Thanks but no thanks, old hag… Like I said, not a date."

He would rage another time. Scowl another time. Yell another time. But for today, he just wanted to go home and curl up in his bed.

"Fuck." He muttered. And despite his dearest hopes, Kurumi Aizawa never came.

 **I'm actually kind of scared that parts of it might have gotten deleted or messed up because of what happened last time. I still don't understand how my final draft for the quirk physical exam arc just disappeared like that and I'm afraid that the same thing might happen to this chapter as well. Hopefully, that was a one time thing.**

 **Fingers are crossed.**

 **Anyways, start of U.A. next chapter! I've got the story planned out in my head and I'm excited to write it out! If you guys see something like a grammar or spelling mistake, or anything that looks out of place, please tell me so I can go back and fix it. Some things might have gotten butchered while I was editting it, I'm not really sure. It would be greatly appreciated and thank you guys for reading! Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**And So He Decides**

 _The world around her burned._

 _She was in a building. A house, maybe? She couldn't remember. But it was made of wood, something the fire greedily devoured._

 _The wooden floor beneath her cracked and splintered. Orange flames scorched inky patterns onto the battered surface and mahogany beams smoldered, burning embers within that ate away at it from the inside like parasites._

 _The construct groaned under its own weight as fire consumed it. If the end of the world had a sound, then Kurumi Aizawa was certain the building bellowed it. The greedy fire was merciless, its hunger near insaitiable and it knew not friend from foe. All was equal, all was fair in its destruction and malignance._

 _And in the midst of all those flames, heat, death and hatred, the black haired girl stood. Rivets of her black hair flowed, buffeted by the torrent of smoke, and the small child gazed at what was the end of the world with tired, dull eyes._

 _How many times had she tried?_

 _Would it ever, ever change?_

 _Fiery fingers twisted the very air with its heat, and the world blurred, the fabric of space itself distorting in its blistering presence. Smoke curled upwards in cloudy shapes of cotton candy and Kurumi grasped one, hoping to put it in her mouth to see if it tasted the same._

 _Smoke simply brushed past her dainty fingers._

" _Hehehehe."_

 _The air she squeezed out of her lungs felt scathing, steely edges that scraped and dragged its pointy edge through the inner walls of her throat. It was a miserable sound, a wheeze she hadn't realized she was capable of._

" _Hahahahahaha."_

 _It was laughter. And yet it was not._

 _It was the pained cries of a wounded animal._

 _It was a sorrowful recquiem howled by the wolves on a full moon._

 _And yet it was laughter._

 _A contradiction born from the shattered remnants of her sanity._

 _Kurumi threw her head back as she laughed. Laughed like there was no tomorrow. Tears sprung in her eyes as she laughed._

 _The impoverished walls of her throat scoured roughly against each other, constricting and shifting. Her laughter turned to spits and hacks as she tried to scratch at the itch within her throat._

 _She dragged a desiccant tongue across equally chapped lips. The arid surface had broken enough to draw blood from its uneven cracks and she savored the sweet, sweet taste of iron, tongue lapping it all up greedily._

 _Crack!_

 _Black and amber eyes widened as seams, great fissures split the ceiling above her with a tremor, an upheaval magnitutes above its predecessors. Her laughter faltered as the world shook._

 _From behind her, a beam snapped and the building howled in pain. With a sound like a thunder-clap, a section of the ceiling caved in. Rubble spilled like a great avalanche all around her. Dust kicked up from the impact and fire drew its fingers back, hissing in indignance, but black and amber orbs widened, uncaring of the devastation as they stared up, up ahead, entranced at the view that had opened up to her._

 _It was like a great, arching gateway above her had opened up its vast doors. And what greeted her beyond was one of the most beautiful things she had ever had the pleasure to see._

 _Stars. Millions upon millions of stars. They hung like bulbs of light upon the colossal dome of the night sky._

 _Stars, millions of light years away, across immeasurable distances, each and every one of them struggled, competing to shine with the light of life. And it came. The assemblage of that struggle, tiny particles of light that shined, carving through the principles of space and time, against unfathomable odds, to distill upon her, upon the earth, proof that they all existed._

 _Events with astronomical odds of happening and yet their light had reached its fingers even to the corner of the universe._

A miracle.

 _A chunk of debris fell to earth and slammed onto the crown of her head. Like a marionette, whose strings had been cut, Kurumi dropped to the floor listlessly._

 _Blood spilled from the deep gash where it had struck her. Kurumi felt cold, so cold, despite the burning furnace all around. The flames continued to roll around her, and wisps of heat licked at her ankles tentatively._

 _She looked up, up at the bright sky where miracles upon miracles had piled on top of each other to create this beautiful scene._

 _Her vision began to blur, the stars swimming, coalescing as it shifted into pools of light. And Kurumi smiled even as her eyes dimmed._

 _Miracles existed._

 _They trully, trully did. And that was all she needed to know._

 _Maybe, if she tried hard enough, one small miracle would come knocing on her front door as well._

 _A miracle to bend the principles that governed this world._

 _Her amber eye burst forth with a glow far brighter than the stars above and the flames all around them._

" _W-wait for me, mom…"_

* * *

"Oi, let go of me," Aizawa was currently walking down the hallway of the U.A. high school. And he wasn't alone.

His posture tilted sideways awkwardly, his pace impeded as a black haired girl latched heavily onto his arm. "Come on, dad. Let me stay like this until class starts."

One coal black eye stared up at him in a heart squeezing puppy stare and Shouta Aizawa looked away, agitated and not at all confident that he could survive such a gaze for any seconds longer. His hand twitched uncomfortably in her grasp, and he ruffled his shoulder length hair with his other one, feeling quite flustered.

He was never comfortable with her displays of affection, all the more when in public. It was something he could never quite get used to.

An eye twitched as he felt Kurumi giggle into his arm. She rubbed her cheek into his sleeve with so much affection and Aizawa leaned slightly away, the scent of lilac assaulting his nose.

"Oi. I'm a teacher here! People are staring!" Half lidded eyes narrowed to slits, as he fidgeted in her iron grip.

"Are you embarrassed?" Kurumi chirped and Aizawa let out an aggravated sigh. It was still morning and he already felt like crawling into his bean bag to sleep. Throwing his head back, he tipped a small bottle over his eye, allowing a small droplet to fall upon his black iris. The eyedrop was soothing and he sighed as it placated the irritation in his dry eyes.

Students were already piling into their respective classes. Some second years and third years, who knew him threw curious gazes and subtle looks their way and Aizawa tried his best to ignore them as he stubbornly went his way.

"Eraser Head~!" Aizawa turned his head at the familiar voice that called. Yamada Hizashi. A fellow teacher and a very old friend.

His ever so pointy blond hair was a singular spike that swayed dangerously in the air. His hair sashayed almost comically with every small twitch, with every minuscule movement his head made and he strutted toward them in that ever familiar flamboyant way

Aizawa could see the concentric circles behind the orange tint of Yamada's sunglasses, gleaming merry and pleased, welcoming of an old friend. His arm was up in an enthusiastic greeting, a wide smile splitting his face, flashing perfect, white teeth.

The black haired man nodded his head in a small greeting.

"Where are you headed, Eraser?" Present Mic sang, wiggling his fingers as he strutted toward him.

"To the staff room."

"Same here. Same here. And who is that beside yo-" Yamada stilled, mouth agape, the rest of his sentence failing to leave his mouth. Concentric eyes widened to saucers before they split to slits as a wide grin spilled across his lips. He twirled on the spot, a fingerjab toward the girl beside Aizawa as he winked.

"Yo! Aizawa 2.0!"

"Present Mic!" His daughter gasped from beside him, and she ran into Yamada's open arms. She yelped as the musician lifted her up in the air, surprising her with his strength hidden in his deceptively thin arms.

"It's been too long, female listener!" Yamada laughed as Kurumi giggled, "You've grown so much!"

"I missed you too, Mikey!" Kurumi chirped in his arms, starting to get dizzy as he pivoted around on his foot.

"Mikey?!" Yamada feigned shock, his hand smacking his forehead as he dropped her gently back down, "Your sense of humor is still hilaaaaariouuus!"

Yamada straightened himself quickly when a student passed by, and he cleared his throat before he leaned down to her level. "But listen, female listener. We're at school and I'm a teacher here. Y'know?" He whispered secretively, "You can't just go around calling me _Mikey_."

Kurumi frowned before she nodded her head in affirmative and she whispered into his ear in return, " _Mr_. Mikey."

Yamada straightened himself as a laughter rumbled from his chest and Aizawa clamped his hands over his ears so as Kurumi did the same. His quirk amplified his voice, piercing their eardrums even with their hands clasped protectively over them and Aizawa could swear the glass panels that made up the hallway walls shook from the force of his laughter.

"Hilarriiiouuus!" He twirled like a ballerina before he flashed Kurumi a wink, "Let's roll with that then!"

Kurumi giggled as she shared a fist bump with him. Grabbing onto Yamada's collar, Kurumi surprised the musician with a quick kiss to the cheek, a sign of affection she often showed him, who was an uncle figure to her. Yamada grinned as he ruffled Kurumi's hair affectionately, eliciting a small protest from his daughter and Aizawa Shouta felt his eyebrows twitch involuntarily. Yamada saw his expression before he could cover it up and a sly grin made its way to his face as he jabbed his index finger toward him, drawing circles coyly in the air.

"Look, female listener. Your daddy is jealous. What, Eraser? You want a kiss too?"

"Oh?" The knowing smile on his daughter's face made him all the more irritated as he turned away with a dry huff. His shoulders hunched as Kurumi and Yamada roared with laughter at a joke he did not fully hear.

"Well. I better get to my class." He heard Kurumi say with a sigh. Aizawa looked over his shoulder as Kurumi merrily clapped hands with Yamada in a farewell and she winked at Aizawa before she was off sprinting down the hallway, "See you later!"

"No running in the hallway!" Aizawa growled after her.

"'K, daddddd!" Her voice echoed in the long hallway before she turned a corner and was gone from his sight.

Aizawa sighed, a hand combing through his unruly hair as he resumed his way to the staff room. And with a merry hum, Yamada followed suit, little steps behind him.

Almost all the students had filed into their respective classrooms and their steps were the only sounds that reverberated in the empty hall. His shoulders tensed as Yamada's whistles stopped and tired eyes gazed at the rising sun above.

"Well, looks like Fukukado's magic worked like a charm, eh?" Yamada hummed happily, "Look at her now. What a happy ball of sunshine! That female listener!"

The mic hero rubbed his cheek where Kurumi had planted a quick kiss, and Aizawa threw the blonde a dirty look. Yamada merely shrugged, a crooked grin on his face and Aizawa grunted irritably, hands stuffing into his pockets as the two resumed quietly down the now empty hallways of the U.A. High school.

The Sun rose a bit higher into the sky. A gentle breeze ruffled the leaves and the birds chirped, sweet morning calls that seeped between the slim gaps of the glass panels and into the quiet hallway.

Click-clack. Click-clack.

Their boots echoed against the pristine, impeccable floor as the two walked, and Aizawa hunched his shoulders.

Everything was just so, so-

-Peaceful.

"It's been two years already, huh?" Yamada mumbled from behind his back. His voice was subdued, his jubilant aura that clung to his form, the vibration of colorful notes that seemed to follow him wherever he went, quiet and nonexistent.

Yamada chuckled and he raked his fingers through his pointy hair as he sighed. The peaceful atmosphere was suddenly tinged with nostalgia and Aizawa closed his eyes, letting the rhythm soak his ears. The chirping of birds. The sigh of the wind. Their boots against the marble floor. He liked this, preferred this sound over any music Yamada Hizashi had ever weaved.

"Hey, Eraser." Yamada whispered.

Aizawa grunted as his feet reached the staffroom. His fingers touched the doorknob, a calloused palm carressing the cold metal and a half lidded eye flickered to the musical blonde beside him.

Present Mic's orange sunglasses flashed and he threw the black haired man a wide grin. "She grew up well."

Aizawa opened the door, "I know."

* * *

"G-good morning! Kurumi!"

"Morning, Deku!"

"I got up so early because I was so excited to see you! Ah! I m-mean, it's been so long and I'm just! You know! Amazing! Same school! W-what a coincidence!" Izuku crashed into a stuttering mess, as a healthy blush splashed his cheeks. He scratched his hair, ending up confused and struggling over his words as he awkwardly twiddled his thumbs, "Ah, y-y'know! I was so happy when I heard we ended up in the same class!"

Kurumi giggled, jabbing her elbow into his side and the green haired boy squeaked, shying away from her prodding fingers.

"It's like a dream," A coal black orb glimmered merrily, a fierce smile upon her face and Kurumi laughed as she threw an arm over his shoulder.

She grabbed his cheek and pinched it, eliciting a small protest from the freckled boy, "I was drinking water when you said you got into U.A., y'know? I ended up spewing in my dad's face!"

She hummed as an afterthought, "He wasn't very happy about it."

Izuku garbled unintelligibly, face ripe as a tomato as she played with his cheek. Kurumi watched with amusement as his freckles disappeared beneath the rush of his blood. Two years had changed nothing, and Izuku Midoriya was the same awkward boy she had known all her life.

"What's wrong, Deku?" Kurumi leaned into his face, trying to catch his beautiful emeralds with her coal black.

"K-Kurumi," Izuku stuttered, "Too close…!"

In the two years Izuku hadn't seen her, Kurumi had matured into a stunning beauty. Pale features, and lush black hair, long eyelashes and a sharp eye that seemed to pierce with its stare alone. Izuku couldn't help but blush fiercely when their eyes met.

"Too close?!" Kurumi laughed, "Are you embarrassed?!"

Izuku yelped as the ghost of her breath brushed his cheek and he wiggled his way out of her arm, emeralds staring anywhere but at her face, "What if someone sees and gets the wrong idea?!"

"Who cares?" Kurumi shrugged nonchalantly.

Izuku opened and closed his mouth like a landed fish, freckles still hidden under the plethora of red, and he tousled his curly hair agitatedly, as he looked left and right. His voice was barely above a whisper as he croaked fearfully, "W-What if Kacchan sees?"

Although Kurumi had not heard from the person himself, she had a feeling that Katsuki Bakugo would have passed the entrance exam. Probably with flying colors, she would presume. When it came down to it, there was honestly no denying his abilities and talents.

"It's none of his business, you know." Kurumi muttered apprehensively. The way Izuku seemed to cower at any mention of Bakugo irked her to no end. _Take care of Deku._ That had been her last request to Bakugo before she went away. But it seemed that Katsuki Bakugo had done no such thing.

Suddenly feeling her mood souring, Kurumi shook her head once before she began dragging her friend down the hall. Izuku protested lightly, but did not pull away from her grip and the two continued at a light pace, silent and peaceful down the long corridor.

"Wonder who's going to be in our class," Kurumi hummed thoughtfully, pursuing a different topic.

"The best of the best," Izuku answered nervously, "Elitists. The acceptance rate for the hero course is less than one in three hundred."

"And we're one of them," Kurumi whistled, "We're pretty amazing."

Izuku scratched his cheek. That wasn't it. Kurumi was the one who was amazing. He, on the other hand, he had simply been lucky. He was able to pass only because he was granted this power he still didn't know if he fully deserved. If he hadn't met All Might, if All Might hadn't chosen him as his successor, Izuku Midoriya wouldn't be here at all.

The green haired boy clenched his fists. That was why he had to work twice as hard as anybody else. Izuku renewed his vow.

"I can't wait!" Kurumi hummed happily, oblivious to Izuku's inner-thoughts. "Since the practical exam was heavily battle-oriented, I bet you most of our classmates are gonna be macho-dudes who are all buff and brutal and tough…"

Izuku wasn't sure if she was serious or just joking around to try and scare him.

"Oh, honey~" Kurumi cooed when she saw Izuku's face grow more nervous, "Don't worry! Big sis will protect you!"

"Especially from Katsuki Bakugo, if he ends up in our class," Kurumi added in a more serious undertone.

There were only two classes for the fabled hero course. So she wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in their class.

Kurumi was the one who lead most of the conversation as they walked down the hallway. Izuku was content enough to quietly listen and occassionally speak here and there.

At one point, between Kurumi's long curls, the black eyepatch with flowery patterns embroidered upon the surface caught Izuku's eye. Izuku already knew she was blind in her right eye, but he couldn't suppress his disappointment when he saw it. Izuku had always found Kurumi's amber eye to be very pretty, so he disliked the fact that she had covered it from view.

Izuku managed to muster up his courage to ask.

"Hey, Kurumi?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why are you wearing that eyepatch?"

Kurumi merely shrugged and didn't answer and the short conversation tapered out to awkward silence. A light frown entered her face.

Whenever the topic ventured close to Kurumi's past, of the two years she had been gone, she became very evasive and quiet. Izuku wondered if the eyepatch was one of those subjects concerning it and he decided to steer clear. Izuku had not the courage to push her for answers when he saw her frown. Anyways, he had said it himself, hadn't he?

 _You don't have to force yourself to tell me, Kurumi._

 _You came back. And that's all that matters._

Maybe one day, Kurumi would be able to tell him all about it with a smile on her face. But for now, all Izuku could do was respect her privacy.

As the conversation trickled to lighter topics and the bright smile returned to Kurumi's face, Izuku naturally pushed those thoughts out of his mind. Kurumi smiled at him and he smiled back.

"We're here," Kurumi suddenly said.

Izuku blinked.

A steel door came into view. It was giant in size, the word 1-A engraved upon the steely surface in molten brass. Its size was easily distinguishable from the doors to the other classrooms from 1-C to 1-J. Only class 1-B and 1-A boasted such impressive doors, and Kurumi idly wondered if it wasn't excessive discrimination on U.A.'s part. Its lone presence in the otherwise empty hallway made it all the more intimidating, and Kurumi grabbed the handle with a trembling breath, fingers curling over the cold metal.

She could hear the voices of her fellow students, filtering from within. Amiable chatterings and laughters hit her ears, and her heart sang, whispering promises of a new beginning. She heard Izuku gulp behind her, and she reached behind her, clasping his hand and squeezing his fingers.

She opened the door. And the two stepped into the class of 1-A.

* * *

Kurumi stared in wonder at the other students of 1-A who had already arrived before her. There was a pretty girl with stunning, pink skin, who was chatting happily with a guy with spiky, red hair. There was a giant of a man, flexing six arms. There was a girl with earphone jacks for ears, who was quietly reading in her seat. There was a blonde, whose hair continued to cackle with arcs of electricity. There was a boy with red, crimson eyes that were staring directly at her...

 _Oh._

Katsuki Bakugo.

The familiar blonde was lounging in his seat. He was leaning back, hands stuffed in his pockets and his feet on his desk, as he balanced himself precariously on the hindlegs of his chair.

Bakugo lazily tipped his head back, red eyes piercing and thoughtful. Crimson rubies gazed into Kurumi's coal black, before they sidled to rest on the green haired boy behind her.

Izuku flinched before he twisted his hand from Kurumi's grip.

Bakugo snorted before he kicked off his desk, and with a loud slam as his shoes hit the ground, Bakugo stomped his way toward the frozen pair.

"Sup, Bakago," Kurumi hummed, but her shoulders tensed when Bakugo strode forward menacingly, not a hint of friendliness to be found in his expression.

"You've got some nerve, Deku!" Bakugo growled as he pushed past Kurumi.

"K-Kacchan, I already told you! I don't care about your f-future plan! You can't stop me from coming here!" It was obvious Izuku was struggling to put up a brave front, but Bakugo's fury was chipping steadily at his defences as Izuku shrunk further and further into his shoes.

"You don't deserve to be here, you fucking cheater," Bakugo growled and Izuku flinched at his choice of words.

Kurumi scowled, "Watch it, Bakago."

Bakugo paid her no heed, crimson eyes silent and fierce as they bore holes into Izuku's clear emeralds. Bakugo bared his teeth, face inches from Izuku's and the freckled boy found his back against the wall as Bakugo's voice seared against his ear. Quiet enough so that Kurumi couldn't hear, but it was loud and harsh as it scraped against Izuku's eardrums.

"Don't act cocky, Deku! That power… That power doesn't even belong to you...!"

Bakugo saw Izuku's face go white and he grimaced. That was all the confirmation he needed. What All Might had said that day, as bizarre as it sounded, seemed to be the truth. _I have deemed you worthy of inheriting my powers._ That meant Izuku Midoriya was no longer quirkless, and quite possibly equipped with the strongest quirk this world ever knew.

It actually made perfect sense. That would easily explain how Deku had gotten into U.A. in the first place. _Did that mean he was as strong as All Might?_ The impossible became the possible. What he had hoped was a dream had become reality. And despite it all, a small part of him refused to accept it.

Since when did all of this go wrong? Bakugo wondered darkly.

The person he admired and the person he loved. Both of them had acknowledged Izuku Midoriya over Bakugo. It didn't make sense. Nothing made much sense anymore. From Kurumi's inhumane faith in Izuku to All Might's acknowledgement.

There was nothing special about the damned nerd. Everything Izuku did, Bakugo was confident that he could do better. So why had he been chosen over Bakugo? What did Izuku have that Bakugo didn't?

Nothing! It was unfathomable to think that the boy, who had followed him around since childhood would ever be able to surpass him in anything! It was obvious that they were mistaken!

He remembered All Might's words. He remembered how Kurumi Aizawa's eye had shone, flickering with an emotion Bakugo was too scared to acknowledge the night they had reunited. So many dark emotions were weighing him down. And so Bakugo clung onto the only thing, the only hope he had left.

That promise he had made that stormy night.

A vow that probably hadn't reached her over that tumult and rain.

He had to become the number one hero.

They were mistaken and he was right.

Smoke sizzled from Bakugo's palms. His admiration for All Might's strength. This one-sided love since childhood.

Bakugo felt an incredible thirst, but with it came a storm of uncertainty. Never before had he wavered in his confidence, but whenever he saw the fire in Izuku's eyes, Bakugo felt an incomprehensible feeling of pressure. It was as if the damned nerd was planning to overtake him. And Bakugo could not acknowledge that. He didn't want to accept that! Izuku Midoriya had to be so beneath him that the idea of them competing should have been a complete joke!

Bakugo stared down his nose at the trembling figure in front of him. This trash couldn't even stand up to him. This loser would never be able to beat him. That's right. That was how things should be! Bakugo relished in the way Izuku cowered before him. And so he squashed down this feeling of uncertainty.

 _The one who's going to become the number one hero is me._ Bakugo vowed fiercely once more.

And he would take from Izuku what was rightfully his.

Turning sharply away from Izuku, Bakugo allowed himself a glance toward Kurumi. She was frowning, disapproval in her eye, but Bakugo forced a small smile.

 _Watch me, Aizawa. I'll prove you wrong! I'll become the hero that surpasses All Might himself!_

"E-even so!"

A voice behind him made Bakugo pause, and the smile slid off his face.

"Even so!" Izuku spoke up shakily, but there was steel in his voice, "I want to become a hero like All Might! And to that end, I'm not going to g-give up! Kacchan!"

Bakugo had forgotten for a moment. No matter how many times Bakugo pushed him down, the damned nerd would always get back to his feet and stick to his back like glue. Always. For as long as Bakugo remembered.

And Bakugo felt afraid.

His palms began to cackle with heat.

"It's a future set in stone," Kurumi spoke up, and Bakugo trembled as the black haired girl strode to Izuku's side, "Deku, you _will_ become the greatest hero this world ever knew."

Her coal-black eye was gentle, yet strong. It was a pool of midnight, that sparkled with fierce pride, the surface clear and bright without a shred of doubt to taint it. And Bakugo felt his stomach twist.

"K-Kurumi..." Izuku fidgeted awkwardly. His moment of courage had passed, and a rosy tint colored his cheeks as the green haired boy shrunk back to his shy nature.

Kurumi smiled sweetly at Izuku, and the green haired boy smiled timidly back. And Bakugo felt bile rise in his throat.

"Don't overestimate yourself, you damned trash," Bakugo spat harshly. Rage bubbled in his stomach, his temper rearing its ugly head, covering up his fear and his palms sparked in response to his emotions.

The gentle look Kurumi had gazed at Izuku with was wiped away in an instant. Instead, she glowered at Bakugo with cold intensity, a hint of warning evident on her face. But Bakugo didn't care.

"You're just a pebble!" Bakugo growled.

"A nerd!"

"Useless!"

"Talentless!"

Each word came out louder and louder, but no matter how much venom Bakugo laced into his words, he had a gut-feeling the green haired boy wasn't going to stop.

"You damned Deku…" Bakugo hissed in frustration, "Know your place!"

 _Don't get cocky just because she's by your side!_

 _Don't get ahead of yourself just because All Might has your back!_

And even now, Bakugo chuckled glumly, Kurumi Aizawa was getting angry on Izuku's behalf. She had always been awfully sensitive when it came to Deku. Just one insult to Deku was enough to earn her ire. It was almost as if she was the one being degraded.

Kurumi's hair was floating upwards, the scarf around her neck twisting and churning. Her coal black eye pierced Bakugo in cold fury, as the corner of her lips curled down into a snarl, "Hey, Bakago." She snapped.

"You're a real asshole, you know that?"

Bakugo ignored the small throb in his heart, and he threw her a smirk in defiance.

"Well, someone's gotta teach Deku his place," Bakugo snarled back.

Her hair twisted and churned, dancing to a non-existent breeze, and Izuku grabbed Kurumi's shoulder, trying to placate the blackette.

"Deku's a million times better than you, Katsuki Bakugo," Kurumi glowered, "A better person than you ever will be. And a better hero."

Another throb. Bakugo bit his lips.

"I heard you kept bullying Deku during the two years I was gone," Kurumi continued on ruthlessly, "Hey, do you know that? My first impression of you wasn't that great. The first time I saw you, you and your goons were bullying Deku. You were just a bully, a typical ass, but I thought you'd changed, y'know? That you had turned over a new leaf when you started hanging out with me and Deku. And I thought, I thought we were all friends. The three of us. We were best friends, weren't we? And then, you just go and betray my trust. I was the fool for believing otherwise. I should have known a person never really changes!"

"I never…" Bakugo struggled, "I never thought of Deku as my best friend. Who would want to be friends with a loser like him? He's the one, who followed me around like a lost puppy! I only hung out with him because you were-"

"You're horrible, Bakugo!" Kurumi seethed, "You make me sick! I don't want to see your face ever again."

Bakugo's heart throbbed again. A lump formed in his throat and words stuck like glue to his throat.

"K-Kurumi! You're going too far!" Izuku squeaked, but Kurumi merely shook the green haired boy off and turned away.

"K-Kacchan!" Izuku shouted desperately, "Kacchan! She didn't mean that! She's just-"

The moment Izuku grabbed onto Bakugo's arm was the moment Bakugo lost control.

BOOM!

A single, deafening loud bang was enough to silence the entirety of Class 1-A. The chatterings stopped in an instant, as if someone had run a knife through the cheerful, bright atmosphere. All eyes swiveled to the front of the class where Bakugo stood, but the person himself paid them no heed. He stared emptily at his smoking palm before his eyes slid down dully to rest on the coughing form at his feet.

That was the first time. The first time his explosion had gone off without his command. The first time he had lost control.

Footsteps echoed loudly in the heavy silence that ensued. They stopped directly in front of him, and Bakugo had to struggle to drag his gaze up to the front.

Charcoal black met dull red. Kurumi merely stared coldly at Bakugo. None of the rage Bakugo had expected was there. Honestly he would have preferred that.

 _SLAP_

Bakugo fell to the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut. He felt a dull throb on his right cheek. It was a different kind of ache from the one in his chest. Bakugo gingerly touched his reddening cheek.

"Are you ok?" Kurumi asked quietly. Bakugo almost answered, but he bit his tongue when he realized that kindness wasn't directed toward him but to Izuku. Her eye was warm and kind, as she helped Izuku to his feet.

Bakugo nearly flinched when she turned to look at him again, and the gentle warmth bled out instantly to be replaced by coldness.

Izuku opened and closed his mouth like a landed fish beside her. But there was no sound strong enough to penetrate the suffocating tension that had formed in the air. Not him. Nor any of the classmates around them that were staring at this scene as it unfolded in front of them spoke.

But the spell broke as the classroom door slid open.

Shouta Aizawa blinked once. The scent of smoke pierced his nostrils and he wrinkled his nose in distaste.

He surveyed the scene and blinked again. A spiky haired blonde was on the ground, staring blankly at him. A green haired boy was standing awkwardly to the side, the front of his uniform charred and smoking. And his own daughter was standing over the fallen blonde, her eye wide.

"Sir!" A navy haired boy burst from his seat. His glasses flashed as the student power-walked to the front of the class in a heart beat. And with great enthusiasm, and much unneeded hand gestures, the boy coughed up all that he had seen that had transpired.

Aizawa rubbed his tired eyes as he sighed aggravatingly. Raking a hand through his long hair, he muttered almost disbelievingly, "Seriously?"

Shouta rubbed his temple. He could already feel a slight migraine forming, as he tried to understand what had happened. A moment ago, his daughter had been all sunshine and roses. And the next, this happens? Shouta decided to give up on trying to understand. He was too tired for this, he thought morosely to himself. He wanted to hurry up and get this over with and just sleep.

He lazily waved the boy with glasses back to his seat. The trio was still frozen in their spots and Shouta sighed. The easiest way to solve this?

"Detention," The black haired man drawled, "You. And you." He pointed at the spiky haired blonde and his daughter.

Kurumi was wrong if she expected him to play favorites just because she was his daughter. In here, he was a teacher before a father. And Kurumi was a student before his daughter.

Just earlier in the staff room, Power Loader had mentioned he needed some helping hands to clear out the development studio and sort out some tools.

Perfect. He'll send these two troublemakers.

Oh, how he wished to simply crawl into his bean bag and sleep. _There would be no greater joy,_ he thought glumly.

* * *

He was last. He was last.

Izuku Midoriya was in last place.

The green haired boy chanted it like a mantra within his mind. A dull pain throbbed within his finger, the prior feeling of victory and accomplishment at having thought of channeling One for All only through his finger and the sheer brilliance of it all, brief and fleeting as it slipped from his mind and the facts, the cold hard truth, the reality came crashing down upon him.

" _The person who comes last in all eight tests will be deemed to have no potential and be expelled…"_ His homeroom teacher's words echoed incessantly within his mind, bouncing against his eardrums as Izuku stared dumbly at the result chart in front of the murmuring crowd.

Kurumi Aizawa may have gotten detention on the first day of school.

But Izuku Midoriya had gotten expelled on the first day of school.

As soon as they had completed the quirk apprehension test, their homeroom teacher had left without another word after presenting them the results. At the number one spot, the name Momo Yaoyorozu was emblazoned proudly, followed closely by Shouto Todoroki. And all the way at the bottom was christened in bold letters- _Izuku Midoriya._

Expelled. Izuku Midoriya was going to be expelled.

The rest of the evening went by in a blur. The curriculum of U.A. was indeed high-levelled, the teachers already starting their lessons even though it was the first day of school. And Izuku Midoriya would only get to nip at the bud of what he should have had the privilege of learning. All the things he would have learned, he would only get to have a taste of it.

Izuku couldn't concentrate. The teachers filed in one by one, class after class, heroes of renown and fame standing in real life in front of them. Ectoplasm, Cementoss, Midnight. And yet, Izuku could not muster any enthusiasm or excitement as he stared blankly into empty space. How could he when the daunting fact that he would not be entering these prefectures tomorrow hung like a death sentence over him?

He half expected, half wished Mr. Aizawa to come in to tell them that it had all been a joke. But despite Izuku's fervent wishes, the man never came.

The faint scent of smoke assaulted his nose. His uniform was still black and charring. A large singed hole was on the front of his blazer, courtesty of Bakugo, though the damage thankfully hadn't reached its way to his shirt. But that didn't matter, Izuku idly realized. He wouldn't be needing a new blazer now because he had been kicked out… Izuku sniffled, as he felt his eyes begin to water. Rubbing fiercely at them with the sleeve of his ruined blazer, Izuku bit his lips.

The scent of smoke brought with it the memories of what Katsuki Bakugo had said earlier in the morning.

 _Don't overestimate yourself, you damned trash!_

 _Know your place!_

Maybe Bakugo was right, Izuku thought glumly. Maybe he had been in over his head.

 _Deku means someone who can't do anything!_ Little Bakugo taunted him in his thoughts.

 _But Deku also sounds like the word for you can do it, right?_ A young Kurumi smiled sweetly in his memories.

 _Young man. I have deemed you worthy of inheriting my powers._ His idol. His hero. The man who meant everything to him. All Might stretched his arms to the heavens.

 _Izuku, you look so cool._ His mother's whisper brushed gently past his ears. Unshed tears shining all the more with pride for her only son.

Izuku buried his head in his arms, letting the tears fall at last.

Even with a cheat power like One for All, Izuku couldn't do it. He had failed, and so betrayed the trust that was put upon his shoulders. Just like Bakugo had said, Izuku was…

Somewhere, Izuku imagined hearing Bakugo's laughter. And for this moment, Izuku was deeply grateful that Bakugo and Kurumi hadn't returned to class from their detention yet. He idly wondered what sort of harsh detention they had gotten that would keep them away from class for the entirety of the day, but what did it matter? Izuku was simply thankful that he wouldn't have to put up with Bakugo's jeers.

Izuku flinched as the school bell rang. It signalled the end of a day for the rest of his classmates, but for Izuku, it tolled of something far more daunting. In ringing tones, it seemed to tell Izuku that this was the end for him.

 _Give up. It's over._

"Are you ok?" Uraraka Ochako, the girl he had saved during the practical exam came up to him quietly. She nibbled on her lower lip, hovering uncertainly beside Izuku's seat.

Izuku sagged his shoulders as he stared glumly at the brown haired girl. Ochako fidgeted slightly with the hem of her skirt, "Cheer up! It's not like it's over, yet!" She said.

"?"

"I mean," Ochako coughed, "The pretty girl and the angry blonde haven't taken their apprehension exams yet. We don't know the final results!"

 _Oh. She was talking about Kurumi and Kacchan._

What sliver of hope that had surfaced in Izuku's desperate mind was extinguished immediately. It was true that they hadn't yet taken the quirk apprehension test and thus their results weren't included in the rankings yet, but Ochako's words of comfort meant nothing to him. Not just because he doubted the two of them would ever do worse than him, but also because he didn't want to pray for his friend's failure in order for his survival. And whether he liked it or not, Katsuki Bakugo was bound to score among the highest if not the highest.

Izuku sagged in his chair and managed a weak smile.

Chairs scraped noisily against the floor as his classmates got ready to leave. Ochako was rolling her eyes, obviously thinking of something to say. Quiet whispers rippled through the class and furtive glances were being cast Izuku's way, but honestly Izuku wished they wouldn't pay him any heed.

"Everyone! Please, stay in your seats! Mr. Aizawa has instructed us to wait!" Iida Tenya suddenly burst into the class at a brisk pace, arms waving madly and choppily in the air as he addressed the class. His voice boomed across the room, halting the students midway out of their seats and prompting them all to plop back into their chairs at the vehement behest of the navy haired boy. When they were all properly seated, Iida gave an exgravant bow and hurried into his own seat.

Not long after, Shouta Aizawa lazily strode into the class. At his heels, the two people, Kurumi and Bakugo, who had been absent for almost the entire day came in. They both strode back to their respective seats without so much a glance at each other.

"Fight again," Shouta paused as he lazily surveyed the silent class in front of him, "And you'll be expelled." He said simply.

Kurumi glowered and Bakugo seethed, muttering furiously under his breath about some stupid crane heads. Izuku sweat dropped, wondering if their teacher took secret pleasure in expelling his students.

"Well, thanks to these two taking their time with their detention _,"_ Aizawa sighed as he scratched his hair, "I had them take their quirk apprehension test at a later time from the rest that took it in the morning. And this here is the final result of the rankings."

The screen behind him lit up, the familiar chart listing the ranking from the quirk appraisal test showing up. Izuku turned his eyes away, not really finding it in himself to look. A collective murmur rippled through the class and Izuku balled his fists on his laps.

Somebody poked Izuku on the back and he turned to see a small boy, who had purple balls for hair. At Izuku's inquisitive stare, Mineta Minoru simply pointed at the large screen, " _Look."_

Izuku threw a quick glance at the large chart. His mouth immediately fell open. As expected, Katsuki Bakugo had knocked Mezo Shojo to fourth and had taken his spot for third place.

But far below it, Izuku had to blink in order to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

 _19\. Izuku Midoriya_

 _20\. Kurumi Aizawa_

He rubbed his eyes, blinked once and twice then stared hard at the screen again, but the numbers didn't change. The meaning of it took awhile to fully register in his mind, and when he finally realized that it wasn't him, but Kurumi, who was in fact, last, Izuku felt dread instead of relief.

"Wha-?" Izuku clamped his mouth shut, accidentally biting his tongue in the process.

He gazed at where Kurumi was and found the black haired girl, staring at the screen with her hands fisted in her skirt as she chewed on her lips.

All eyes were on Kurumi now. The results were determined and there was no changing it.

"Hey, don't they look kinda similar?" Mina whispered to Kirishima, pointing at their teacher and Kurumi.

"Yeah, like that scarf and hair." Kirishima stroked his chin.

"I bet they're related," Denki Kaminari threw in his own remark.

"Look at her name, idiot," Kyouka Jirou scoffed, "It's Kurumi 'Aizawa'. The same as our teacher's."

"Oh," Kaminari scratched his head, "so they _are_ related."

The homeroom teacher cleared his throat, eyebrows furrowing as small chatters broke out from the seams in the silence.

"Quiet." He droned and chairs creaked, throats were cleared as the class fell into rapt attention once more.

The black haired man squinted before he rubbed at his eyes. He grunted, taking his time as he fished in his pockets before retreiving a small bottle from his pocket. And uncaring of the twenty pairs of eyes watching him like hawks, the man lazily tipped an eyedrop over onto his iris and blinked it in as he sighed.

"Kurumi Aizawa." Shouta Aizawa spoke as he stuffed the small bottle back into his pocket, "Tell me, what do you think the purpose of the quirk apprehension test was?"

"…To assess the strength of our quirks?" Kurumi answered uncertainly.

"No," Shouta gazed at her dully, "It was to see how capable you were in applying your quirks to different kinds of situations."

"Creativity is the key," Shouta hummed, "But then, villains won't wait for you all day to come up with the most efficient way to defeat them. And therefore you need fast thinking, flexibility, level-headedness." The tired man listed off his fingers, "But most iimportant of all, you need to have complete understanding of your own quirks. Its strengths. Its limits. Its capabilities. Your quirks are your tools, the only weapon at your disposal."

"Dad-" Kurumi started, but Shouta Aizawa talked over her, raising his voice a little higher.

"Kurumi Aizawa, you simply lack in everything." He stated it as a fact. There was no hint of emotion in his eyes, appearing dull and almost bored. For all Kurumi knew, her father might have just been commenting about the weather.

"Everything starts from knowing yourself. From understanding your own power. With it, you can draw your starting line and improve yourself from there. But because you have so little understanding of that, no because you refuse to even _know_ , you will never be able to grow."

"What are you trying to say-?" Kurumi trembled.

"You can't even use your quirk properly." Her father replied coldly, "Your growth is limited. You haven't even stepped on the starting line. As I said, you lack in everything."

Kurumi's nails dug into her palms. She clenched her jaws, biting the inside of her lip. Everything he said was true. Kurumi had indeed failed to utilize her quirk in any of the eight tests.

But when her father put it that way, it hurt her. Kurumi fidgeted uncomfortably under her father's cold, cruel gaze.

"Becoming a hero isn't possible for you. I advise you to look into other careers." Aizawa concluded drowsily, but his words were sharp and precise.

"Even so," Kurumi spoke after a momentary pause, "Even so, I have to become a hero."

The words she spoke felt awfully familiar to Izuku Midoriya. And within her, Izuku felt a kindred spirit, the same determination the green haired boy had to become a hero.

Izuku stared at Shouta Aizawa's expresionless face. The man tipped his head back once more, allowing another drop from his small bottle to soothe the itch in his eyes.

"You'll die." Shouta muttered after a moment's pause.

"Even so," Kurumi replied.

 **Bang!**

The whole class was startled, shifting in their seats. Their teacher had slammed his fist against the screen behind him, charcoal black eyes, the same as Kurumi's flickering with the first hint of emotions. The bright screen, showcasing the chart flickered and then died out.

Black met black. Coal black, a perfect mirror to the other, and both sides held the other's gaze. A silent battle for dominance and both refused to yield.

Shouta's impassive face faltered, the corner of his lips curving downwards. The man closed his eyes, breaking eye-contact when he saw the expression on his daughter's face. A face of cold determination. A resounding no that was silent, yet loud in its defiance.

He remembered that face. That expression. He had seen it before.

One day. Many days after that fiery, fiery night.

After so much had been lost. After he had failed to save what mattered most in the end. After that fateful battle that had left nothing but embers and trails of ash in its wake.

Many days after that-

When the living was left to sweep up the dust-

 _She was sitting on the family sofa that day. Her eyes were blank and empty, and in her hands, bursts of purple and white, bundles of lilac, her mother's favorite flowers._

" _She's not coming back, is she?" His daughter had asked._

 _Tiny fingers grasped the stems, fingers sweetly traveling up and down the brittle structure, softly carressing it as if flowers could even feel her warm, gentle touch-_

" _No."_

 _The stems snapped. The father and daughter stared at the broken flowers. And there. That expression. That look he would never forget on his daughter's face._

 _One iris, pitch black, tinted in a dull light. The color of his eyes. And the other, the most brilliant shine of the rising Sun, the color of gold burned forevermore into his mind-_

 _-the very same color of her mother's eyes._

 _Her lips thinned, the emptiness in her eyes didn't fade, but a new light seemed to enter them, sharpening with a sense of purpose._

 _That night, Kurumi_ _asked him to teach her all that he knew about fighting. A hero. I want to become a hero, she said._

 _Time had been frozen ever since that fiery night. They had been meandering without aim, never trully moving forward and so, Shouta gladly accepted her request without much thought. It was a blessing to have something else to focus on. The scent of ashes was still present on the tip of his tongue, the fiery stench and the screams-_

 _And so, he gave her all that he knew._

 _He taught her how to use the capture weapon he so favored._

 _He taught her his moves, his techniques, his strategies._

 _His daughter took them all in like a sponge. She pushed her body to its limits and continued to train until she made what he taught, hers._

 _Her determination baffled him. She loved heroes, but she had never really been interested in becoming a hero herself until now. So one day, Shouta became curious and he asked._

" _Why do you want to become a hero?"_

 _His daughter didn't answer._

 _Weeks turned into months and months bled into years._

 _And Kurumi Aizawa continued to learn._

 _Two years passed. And when Shouta had nothing left to teach her, finally, she answered._

 _Why do you want to become a hero?_

" _To find my mom's killer."_

Stubborn and selfish.

Kurumi Aizawa was in every way, just like her mother.

Her mother had been just the same. She had been a stubborn woman, who refused to give up until she got what she wanted. She had been a selfish woman that had taken more than just herself with her when she left him behind.

"… _Shou, will you be my…hero partner?"_

A memory came unbidden. Something he had buried deep in his heart for two years and yet, it was as vivid as the day she had whispered it into his ear.

He had avoided it, pushed it away, hoping that time would do its job and let it all erode.

But it seemed, two years was not long enough.

 _Stubborn woman, isn't it about time you left me alone?_

A ghost of the sweetest laughter curled past his ear, the most familiar scent of lilac tickling at his nose.

It was a voice as sweet as a honey-drop with an offer that had changed his life forever. Warmth gently brushed past the back of his mind.

Honey-blonde hair, a brilliant gold tumbled through the air and molten pools of amber eyes glistened with so much love -for him -for her -for the future and the woman in his memories seemed to whisper.

' _Never.'_

 _Stubborn and selfish._

 _She's just like you,_ Shouta chuckled.

 _That is why I'll do everything to make sure our daughter doesn't meet an end like yours._

 _It's a promise._

She smiled sweetly. Just as she had always done. Her eyes glistened with an emotion all too plain to see. A phantom touch. A phantom whisper. And the woman blew him a kiss.

Memories swirled, of the past that had been, but was now no more. A thousand images, so bright, so colorful, burst with emotions that fueled the beat of his heart, clashing, adjoining, smoothening into an unending cycle at the back of his mind and Aizawa opened his eyes, the bittersweet things lost in time, beckoning, calling and tugging at his heels.

What could he possibly do to convince her?

 _If I can't convince her, then-_

A soft murmur curled past his ear, reminding him ever so strongly that he was still here, here, here. And Shouta Aizawa made a decision.

Dull eyes steeled themselves, clashing against the cold eyes of his daughter. Kurumi Aizawa trembled and the classmates around her were as one, holding their bated breath as they watched. Somewhere, further back, someone let out a shaky breath and the black haired man opened his mouth.

"Kurumi Aizawa, you are hereby expelled from U.A High School."

 **Hello, people.**

 **It took so long to update this chapter, but I've been so busy with my studies, it's a miracle I was able to write this chapter at all. But here I am, and I thank you for sticking with me until the end.**

 **In this story, unfortunately, Kurumi replaces Kouta or Kota? I can't remember his exact name, but you know. The one with the quirk that allows him to speak with animals? Yes, him. I'm sorry for any Kota fans that are reading this if there are any, but I've decided to move him to class 1-B because he honestly doesn't impact the show much.**

 **Bear with me if there are awkward wordings or grammar that sticks out to you and please tell me because I'd be happy to correct it. English isn't really my first language, so I hope you will understand. With all that said and done, I've already planned out the story in my head. Pairings are decided. No harem, just saying. And oh, this will also have Kaminari x Jirou because I just love, love, love their chemistry.**

 **Bye! Until next time!**

 **And thank you again for those who read, favorited and reviewed!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Interlude: Fragment of the Past (1)**

 _Kurumi loved her mother's hair. Each strand was like silk, flowing like a river to her waist. It was the most beauiful color of honey-gold, and Kurumi often loved to nibble on it, half-expecting the sweet taste of honey to bloom on her tongue._

 _Kurumi loved her mother's eyes. Her eyes were like pots filled to the brim with honey. They were like molten pools of the setting Sun and Kurumi loved, just loved how they glistened whenever her mother looked at her._

 _She was in middle-school when it happened._

" _It's okay, honey. Everything is okay."_

 _Her mother's last words became the only lie she had ever told Kurumi._

* * *

" _AAAAGGHH!" Kurumi woke one night with a start. Pain erupted from her right eye, searing and hot as it disrupted her slumber._

 _She twisted and turned in her bed, fingers desperately squabbling over her eye, but it wasn't a pain she could lessen through any physical means._

 _It had taken root deep within, and her fingers scratched helplessly against the surface as Kurumi thrashed and writhed in her bed._

 _Something. Something cracked. No, ripped was the more appropriate term. Something broke at that moment and Kurumi choked when she felt something wet from between her eye lids. She drew back her fingers, and from the dim light that spilled from between the closed curtains of her window, she could still make out the sticky red residue that was undoubtedly blood._

 _Kurumi shakily pushed her blanket off and sat up, before a blinding pain stabbed deep within her eyesocket once more. She let out a shaky moan, too tired to scream as cold sweat slid down her eyebrow. She slammed her back against the wall, desperately willing the pain away, but it didn't stop. It throbbed and throbbed, like a thorn that had wedged istelf in her eye, and blood mingled with tears as they cascaded down her cheeks._

 _Kurumi sobbed bloody tears and in the semi-dark room, Kurumi was alone as she fought against the pain._

 _Quirks were like muscles, Kurumi distsantly remembered her father once saying._

 _And she realized she was paying the price for abusing it._

" _I'm sorry, mom." Kurumi croaked, "I'm sorry."_

 _And through the pain, the fatigue, through the red that was her blood, a whisper seemed to curl past her ear._

" _It's ok, honey. Everything is ok."_

* * *

 _ **Throb.**_

 _ **Throb.**_

 _The pain was still there, but it had receded to a dull itch. Her head was clumsily swathed in bandages even after the bleeding had long stopped. It was uncomfortable with all these layers of cloth over her right eye, but her father had insisted._

 _Scratch. Scratch. Scratch._

 _Kurumi dug her nails into the bandage._

 _It was frustrating, but no matter how hard she scratched, it did nothing to soothe the itch that had taken root deep within._

 _Her room was dark. Only the small beam of sunlight that trickled its way through her curtains told her that it was day-time._

 _How many days had it been? Kurumi hadn't bothered counting. She didn't care. It wasn't like it mattered anyways._

 _She had refused to leave her bed since that night. Not even her father could convince her otherwise. She refused to respond to any of her friends' messages either. Not Bakugo. Not Izuku._

 _Kurumi Aizawa completely cut herself away from the world._

 _Holing herself up in her bed, with her blanket over her eyes, and with nothing but the dark and silence as her company, Kurumi had all the time in the world to think._

 _And she used all that time to etch into her mind, the face of the woman she despised with all her heart._

 _Monster. Killer. Murderer. Villain._

 _The one, who had caused it all._

 _The one, who had taken her mother away from her._

 _The woman was still painfully vivid in her mind's eye. She was a tall woman with chestnut, brown hair and auburn eyes. She wore a business suit, but Kurumi remembered most chillingly of all, that cold, empty look on her face. She hadn't realized a person could look so devoid of emotions like her._

 _Kurumi burned the image of that woman into her memory over and over again. Like a video on repeat, the image of her face constantly flashed through her mind._

 _It was the only thing she could do as of now._

 _The woman hadn't been caught yet and was still at large. She had disappeared without a trace after that night. No one had seen her go, no one knew where she went and everyone was left scratching their heads like idiots._

 _Useless. Incompetent. Every single one of the heroes and the police were fools._

 _Kurumi curled herself into a ball, as she continued to play with the image of the accursed woman in her mind._

 _But just when her eye-lids began to droop, just when the woman in her thoughts was giving way to restless slumber, the door to her room opened._

 _Light spilled into the semi-dark room, and Kurumi curled deeper into herself. Go away, dad. She tried to say, but her voice refused to listen to her._

"… _Rumi?"_

 _Kurumi knew that voice. And it wasn't her father's._

" _Emi…?" This time, Kurumi managed a croak. Her voice was husky from unuse and her throat felt awfully parched._

 _She peeked out from the folds of her blanket, and there, standing in the doorway was a most familiar woman._

 _Emi Fukukado._

 _Emi choked upon seeing the young girl. Kurumi Aizawa was dishevelled and thin, malnourished as if she hadn't eaten properly for the past few days._

 _Curled within her blanket, she looked awfully sick._

 _But what terrified Emi most of all was that empty, blank look on Kurumi's face. She had seen that look before and Emi didn't like it one bit._

 _It was the face of someone, who had no tears left to cry._

 _The woman hurried to the girl's side. Kurumi was still for a moment as if she didn't know what to do, but sowly, quietly, she reached out her arms and the woman immediately drew her into an embrace._

" _You poor, poor thing…"_

 _Kurumi sighed into her chest as Emi combed her fingers through her messy curls._

" _Emi…" Kurumi croaked in a voice that barely sounded like her, "I want to see mom…"_

 _Emi's arms tightened around Kurumi's back. It was a child's wish, and Kurumi already knew. It was unfair of her to say this. But she wanted comfort. She wanted love, and Kurumi sought warmth in the only way she could think of right now._

 _Pity._

 _Kurumi felt something wet drop onto her cheek._

 _Kurumi looked up dully._

 _Emi was a pretty woman with an athletic build, and sea green hair that flowed to her bosom. But her usual bandana was missing now, and her usually flowing hair was wild and messy. The constant smile the woman used to greet Kurumi with was also nowhere to be found._

 _Instead, drops of water were falling off of Emi's chin. It took awhile for Kurumi to realize that they were tears. She stared blankly as the tears continued to fall, cascading like mini-rivers down her cheeks. She reached up a small, dainty hand and tried to wipe them away. But the tears kept coming._

" _Don't cry," Kurumi croaked and their eyes met._

 _Emi's face scrunched up, her lips trembling as she tried to force a smile, a smile as she had always done, even as the tears fell down her cheeks. Kurumi had always found Emi Fukukado's smiles pretty, but the way she forced the corner of her lips upwards now, was nothing more than a pale imitation and had none of the things Kurumi had grown to love._

 _Emi's façade didn't take long to break away like waves against a cliff, faltering before dispersing altogether. She buckled as her sorrow overrode any attempt at a smile and the grown woman buried her face into Kurumi's small shoulder._

" _Don't cry," Kurumi croaked like a broken recorder, "Don't cry…"_

 _It was ironic that Kurumi became the one to offer comfort instead when she had been the one craving it._

 _And it was ironic that Emi Fukukado, Ms. Joke, the Smile Hero herself had failed to muster up a smile._

 **Hello, guys! Long time no see! I finally managed to pump out a chapter and I know it's short, but I have a big one coming soon! I haven't visited the website for quite some time, so I was genuinely surprised when I saw so many favs and followers! And so many reviews too! The attention and genuine interest you've shown me is so heartwarming and amazing! It gives me so much motivation, so I promise you, I'll do my very best to improve and write a story that will satisfy both you and myself!**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope to see you guys again in the next chapter!**

 **P.S. I ended up rewriting chapter 7. Nothing too drastic, but I think it's better this way.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Family Dispute**

 _Katsuki Bakugo was in a very bad mood. He was sulking as he paced up and down the living room of his empty home._

 _Today was his birthday and he was turning eleven, and the ash blonde had been excited for this day. He was expecting today to be the best day of the year, but he had ended up fighting with Kurumi again on this very day._

 _All he had done was just push Izuku Midoriya to the ground. And the next thing he knew, Kurumi had been furious at him, calling him stupid and telling him that she didn't want to see him ever again._

 _This wasn't the first time this happened and maybe he should've laid off of Izuku today. But the damned nerd seemed to have forgotten that today was his brithday and that pissed him off._

 _It wasn't just Izuku. Nobody seemed to realize that today was his birthday. And true to her words, Kurumi refused to even look at him, avoiding him like the plague for the entire day. When she became like this, it took three or four days before she allowed Bakugo to talk to her again._

 _He thought today was going to be the best day of his life, but reality hit him hard with disappointment._

 _And so Bakugo sulked, pacing up and down his house._

 _Well, it wasn't going to be that bad, Bakugo thought to himself._

 _At least his parents had remembered. They were coming home early from work to celebrate his birthday together. They said, they'd get him some cool presents too, so there was that to look forward to…_

 _Bakugi's mood plummeted when his thoughts turned to Kurumi Aizawa, as it usually did when he let his thoughts go astray. He threw himself into the sofa as he groaned into his pillow. This was totally that damned nerd's faults! If Deku hadn't been there, he would totally be spending time with Kurumi right now!_

 _ **Ring! Ring!**_

 _Bakugo fumbled for his phone, not even bothering to lift his head from the pillow._

 _His mother's voice instantly soaked his eardrum as soon as he answered the call. And Bakugo immediately guessed why she had called as soon as he heard her careful tone._

"… _Katsuki?"_

" _What." Bakugo's voice was muffled and short, but Mitsuki Bakugo was used to her son's callouse behavior._

 _And she hadn't the heart to scold her only son, not when she had to tell him-_

" _I'm sorry, dear. But something came up at work, so I probably won't make it until midnight-"_

" _Okay."_

 _Her son's short, but rather calm response surprised Mitsuki. She had expected him to yell and scream a little more._

" _I'm sorry, hon-" Mitsuki repeated, "Tell Masaru too, won't you? He isn't answering his phone right now. You could hold the party with your father or if it's fine with you, we could always do it tomorrow! Oh, and honey- be sure to look forward to your present! You won't be disapp-"_

" _Just get to work, old hag!" Bakugo's rude voice interrupted Mitsuki._

" _Wha-what?" Mitsuki spluttered, "You brat! Where did you learn that word!? And I'm not old-" She clicked her tongue when she realized Bakugo had already hung up._

 _Now that, that was more like her son. Any feelings of guilt flew out the window with those two words!_

 _Old hag._

 _Seriously! Who was teaching her son such horrific profanities!_

 _Mitsuki rubbed her forehead as she leaned back in her chair. She could still remember when her boy was still a baby. And he had been the most adorable thing back then._

 _Mitsuki sighed as she eyed the present by her feet._

 _Maybe, she should go buy a bigger cake._

 _While his mother was pondering about that, Katsuki Bakugo grumbled into his pillow. So, it was going to be just him and his old man?_

" _Stupid, old hag…" Bakugo grumbled to himself._

" _Stupid Deku. Stupid Aizawa. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." Bakugo sulked._

 _Today wasn't just not turning out to be the best. It was turning out to be the worst!_

 _ **Ring! Ring!**_

" _What is it, old hag?" Bakugo immediately answered the phone again._

 _But instead of his mother's voice-_

" _Ah, son!" Masaru Bakugo's gentle voice flowed into Bakugo's ear._

" _Old man?"_

" _O-old man…" Masaru's voice sounded depressed, but Bakugo didn't feel like correcting himself right now._

" _What is it?" Bakugo mumbled._

" _Ah, right. The thing is, son. My colleague had to go to the hospital. Heard his parents got injured in a villain incident. Poor fellow. Anyways, everybody here has to cover for his absence and you see, son, the work's pretty piled up and the deadline-"_

" _Okay, I get it." Bakugo cut him off when his father didn't seem like he was going to stop talking._

" _So you're going to be late?"_

" _I'll probably have to spend the night here, son. I'm sorry."_

" _Right." Bakugo felt something bitter in his mouth._

" _Well, tell your mother that I won't be making it to the party. But be sure to celebrate with Mitsuki, son! Happy birthday! I can't believe you're already eleven! It only felt like yester-"_

 _Bakugo hung up._

 _Throwing his phone onto the sofa, Bakugo got up to his feet. He'd been thinking he'd have his supper with the birthday cake his mother had said she'd bought, but since she wasn't coming and he'd probably be asleep by the time she came home, Bakugo had to prepare his meal himself._

 _He opened the fridge, but there were only raw ingredients. And he had no idea how to cook._

 _There was some left-over toast from breakfast on the table. That would have to do._

 _The bread was both cold and hard, as Bakugo bit into it. He chewed slowly and tried to swallow, but he couldn't do it. A lump had formed in his throat, and Bakugo furiously wiped at his eyes when he felt them water._

 _Shit._

 _He sniffled before he stuffed some more bread down his throat._

 _Why was he alone right now? It was supposed to be his birthday._

 _He had always been the centre of attention. Everybody admired him. Everybody praised him. Everybody wanted to be his friend._

 _Liars. All liars._

 _If they trully cared, he wouldn't be alone right now._

 _So why was it that he was alone on his own birthday?_

 _Bakugo was convinced. Because they never cared in the first place!_

 _Bakugo couldn't stop himself from letting a tear slip. Shit. He was eleven now! He wasn't a baby! He should already be past crying!_

 _ **Ring! Ring!**_

 _Bakugo forcibly gulped down the stale bread and downed a glass of milk. He was going to the living room to get his phone, but he turned sharply to the front door when he realized it wasn't his phone, but the door bell._

 _Bakugo checked himself in the mirror. His eyes were a little red, but it wasn't anything too bad._

 _He opened the door, and saw the last person he expected to see._

 _Kurumi Aizawa._

" _Aizawa?" Bakugo blinked._

 _The black haired girl was chewing on her lips, hands behind her back as she squinted at Bakugo's shoes. She was still mad at him and wasn't about to give him the pleasure of talking face to face._

" _What are you doing here?" Bakugo inquired and Kurumi lifted her eyes, staring at somewhere above his head, determined not to look him in the face._

" _What? I can't come here?" Kurumi challenged._

" _No, I mean. That's not what I meant," Bakugo hastily defended himself._

 _It was strange, really. The way Bakugo treated Deku and the way he treated Kurumi was like night and day. If he could just act a little nicer to Deku, Kurumi was confident the three could become best friends._

 _But for some reason, Katsuki Bakugo hated Deku's guts and so she had made it her mission to defend her friend from the beast that was Bakugo. She wasn't going to forgive him until he apologized to Deku!_

" _Hmph!" Kurumi puffed out her chest and looked pointedly away, but what with her height only reaching Bakugo's nose, she failed miserably at looking intimidating._

 _Cute._

 _Bakugo pushed the thought out of his mind._

" _So why..?" Bakugo questioned uncertainly._

 _Kurumi shoved something in front of his face. She had it behind her back, so Bakugo hadn't been able to see what it was, but now, he saw it._

 _It was a package, wrapped elegantly in green wrapping papers. It was undoubtedly-_

" _Well, happy birthday," Kurumi huffed importantly._

 _Bakugo carefully took the present into his arms, "You did this…for me?" He said, disbelief laced into his tone._

 _Kurumi felt her eyebrow twitch. It was like he hadn't expected her to. That's how little Bakugo thought of Kurumi? He thought she was someone who wouldn't even get a birthday present for a friend? Well, that hurt her pride, but she had to say this._

" _No."_

" _Huh?" Bakugo blinked._

" _That's not from me. It's from Deku! He was going to your house to give this to you, but you're a beast and you're going to hurt him again, so I came in his stead and-" Kurumi babbled as her ears turned pink._

" _Oh." It left his mouth like a sigh, but it shut Kurumi up. There was a tone of understanding in that small breath that she didn't like as if he had been expecting this answer._

 _She hadn't bothered, preparing a birthday present for him, but it felt like Bakugo had known that and that annoyed her more than anything else._

 _Kurumi dug into her pockets. She dug out her phone, and unclasped the key-chain, tied to it._

 _She shoved it into Bakugo's chest and the blonde caught it in surprise._

" _What's this?" Bakugo's eyebrow rose._

" _K-key chain." Kurumi mumbled. Of course she knew that wasn't what he was asking, but Bakugo stepped forward a little, and it made her nervous._

" _Yes, of course, you dummy. But why are you giving me this?" Bakugo asked persistently._

" _You can have it."_

"… _Why?"_

 _Another step forward, but Kurumi refused to shy away. She held her ground, but in that moment she forgot all about the fact that she was supposed to be furious at him and…_

 _Their eyes met._

 _Intense, crimson eyes burned themselves into her mismatched eyes, and Kurumi looked away immediately, but the fire within those irises had seared themselves into her mind._

" _Present," Kurumi blushed in humiliation, "Birthday present! Happy birthday, Bakugo!"_

 _And with that, she scuttled past Bakugo and into his home like she owned it._

" _I'll buy you a proper present if you apologize to Deku and get along with him!" Kurumi hollered past her shoulder, the sudden idea striking her out of nowhere._

 _Bakugo stared at the keychain before he carefully put it in his pocket. He threw Deku's present carelessly onto a table nearby, idly realizing the little nerd hadn't forgotten about his birthday after all. He hurried into his home after Kurumi, making sure to close the front door before he went._

" _Baka-go! I'm starving!"_

" _Too bad. All I've got is some bread."_

" _What? Where's the birthday cake? Ugh, fine. You haven't had dinner yet, right? Leave it to me!"_

" _You can cook?"_

" _Only basic things, but it's better than nothing! Mommy taught me and- Hey, don't get close to me! I'm still mad at you about Deku!"_

" _Who cares about that damned…"_

" _What did you say?!"_

"… _Nothing."_

" _Well, go wait in the living room or something. I'll scrape up what I can."_

" _Ok."_

" _Good. Now go away."_

" _Hey, Aizawa, after dinner… wanna watch a movie or something?"_

" _No! Wait." A momentary pause and- "Whatever. Ok. Fine. Since it's your birthday…"_

 _Bakugo found the need to change his mind. Today was definitely going to be the best day of the year, alright._

 _To this day, Katsuki Bakugo never apologized to Izuku Midoriya and Kurumi Aizawa never got him a proper birthday present._

 _But that was ok._

 _The keychain was enough._

* * *

Bakugo dug his hand into his pocket as he leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs. The students were silent around him as their teacher delivered the final verdict.

"Kurumi Aizawa, you are hereby expelled from U.A. High School."

Bakugo pursed his lips. His fingers traced the outline of an old keychain in his pocket. He already knew the ins and outs, every nook and crany, every small detail of that old keychain, but Bakugo found himself tracing a thumb over it again. Old habits die hard, he guessed.

The keychain was in the shape of a heart with a cute smile on it. Its color had faded, but nobody would mistake the faded pink for anything else. It wasn't something any boy would carry around for everyone to see -he'd be laughed at- , so Bakugo had always kept it safe in his pocket wherever he went.

A chair tipped to the side and crashed to the floor with a loud, echoing thud, and Bakugo allowed a glance sideways. Kurumi Aizawa was on her feet. Her face was pale, her lips thin, but it was the face of someone who could not accept the results.

"Please reconsider," Kurumi said.

"We teachers are allowed to do whatever we want in this school. I've expelled all of Class 1-A last year and no one said a word," Shouta Aizawa said without a trace of remorse. The class took a sharp breath there. They hadn't known about that. But Shouta paid the students no heed. His half-lidded eyes were focused entirely on his daughter. Bakugo could feel a silent battle for dominance between the father and daughter.

"Two years…" Kurumi muttered as she held up the blinding cloth around her neck, "I trained for two years... I did everything you told me no matter how hard it was. Are you telling me those two years were all for nothing? Are you telling me to let all my effort go to waste?!"

"…Yes," Shouta answered after a momentary pause.

"A fight!" Kurumi shouted furiously and the class tensed at the sudden raise of her voice, "Then, fight me, dad. I'll show you it wasn't all meaningless. I'll beat you with everything you taught me and-"

"…Beat me? You?" Shouta cocked his head, "Impossible."

Kurumi bristled at his obvious disregard, "If it's impossible, then show it to me, dad. Because right now-" she fisted a hand into her binding cloth, "I feel like I can put up a pretty good fight."

Shouta sighed. It was a simple and obvious provocation, but what could she do? She could struggle all day, but she would never be able to touch a hair on his head. But if this would make her understand, if she could finally accept this wasn't her path to take at last, then-

"Fine…I suppose."

Kurumi's eye flashed. It was an opportunity, and she wasn't about to let it go to waste.

"If I win, I want you to rescind that statement," Kurumi offered.

"Fine," Shouta accepted, "And if I win, you are to accept this expulsion as proper punishment."

"Oh, and one more thing-" Simply beating her one-on-one wouldn't be able to break her determination completely. Even if she lost, and did get expelled, who was to say she wouldn't try to enroll in a different hero curriculum? What Shouta needed was a decisive blow. An utter defeat that would break her determination completely and force her to give up.

 _-To find my mother's killer._

It was foolish. It was reckless. Simply becoming a hero didn't guarantee the fact that she would be able to find the villain. The opponent was someone who had evaded the eyes of the police and heroes for two years!

But her stubborn determination refused to be shaken. Her purpose had been decided, and mere words weren't enough to shake her from her path.

That was why he needed something more shocking. And that was to fight in a condition where he was at a clear disadvantage, but still come out of it with overwhelming victory.

To instill upon his daughter the difference, the vast gap that seperated him and her. To shatter the mistaken illusion that she was capable of doing what he could do. It was an insult that she thought she could catch up to him when she couldn't even use her quirk properly.

This wasn't a joke. Her own life was at stake here. And not just hers. The civilians' lives would also be if she failed her duties as a hero on the scene.

 _Stubborn and selfish._ Shouta thought in his head. _Naïve. Reckles_ s.

 _You cannot become a hero._

"I'll allow up to five members to come with you to fight me," Shouta decided.

"What? Are you mocking me?" Kurumi blinked in disbelief.

"I'm offering you an advantage," Shouta shook his head. "I hope you're not foolish enough to deny something that could guarantee surer victory."

It was true, Kurumi was thinking. She had wanted a fair one-on-one, but if her father had accepted that he would rescind the expulsion so long as she won, it really didn't matter how she won. No matter how unfair it was, her objective would still be fulfilled. She would be able to stay.

"Fine," Kurumi decided, "And what are the conditions for victory?"

"Your loss when all six of you are rendered unable for continued combat." The corner of Shouta's lips began to curl upwards, and Kurumi felt herself bristle, "My loss when any one of you are able to grab onto me."

"...Grab...you?" Kurumi scowled, "That's it?"

Again, he had set conditions that were almost insultingly in her favor. Her father was looking down on her more and more. She loved him, but she couldn't stop the bitterness rising from the pit of her stomach.

"Fine," she spat, "Don't regret it later! So when?"

"Hmmm?"

"When will we fight?"

"Now."

"Now?" Kurumi's hair began to flow upwards, twisting and turning as if someone had blown life into it, but Shouta shook his head.

"Not here. Meet me at Ground Beta. But before that-"

His tired eyes left Kurumi, and flickered to the quiet class that had silently been watching the two bicker.

"Any volunteers to-" A chair scraped noisily against the floor as someone immediately stood up before he could finish the sentence. Shouta frowned, not liking that his sentence had been cut short.

Black eyes met crimson red.

It was none other than Katsuki Bakugo.

 _Not a moment of hesitation, I see._ Shouta mused.

Kurumi looked like she didn't know if she should look grateful or glare at the ash blonde. But Bakugo's eyes were trained entirely on Shouta Aizawa. _I'm going to beat you,_ they seemed to say.

Shouta looked away from the crimson irises that continued to bore into him.

"Anybody else?" Shouta offered, "Any volunteers? Fighting me would give you some valuable experiece, don't you think? If you do not help her, there's no doubt she will lose."

Kurumi bristled at the statement, but she had the sense to keep her mouth shut. Many would be confused what Shouta Aizawa was doing, convincing people for Kurumi, but Shouta was simply laying out the groundwork for his overwhelming victory. He would want it no other way in order to ensure a stop to this twisted path his daughter had embarked upon.

A shaking hand went timidly up into the air. Izuku Midoriya quietly stood up from his seat, as he glanced nervously around him, "I-I'll do it…!"

"Sit down, Deku. You'll only get in the way," Bakugo growled, red irises immediately flickering to the green haired boy.

"He's adept at analysis and strategies. He'll be a great help," Kurumi said sharply, "Thanks, Deku." Kurumi smiled warmly.

Bakugo clicked his tongue. She had given Bakugo no such gratitude. And here, he was trying to save her ass. Well, it wasn't like he was doing this to earn her gratitude or something. He was used to her cold shoulder anyways when she was mad at him.

* * *

Denki Kaminari had been ecstatic. His high school life was about to start. It was a beginning, a new chapter to his life and Kaminari was determined to do the one thing he had failed in middle-school.

And that was getting a girlfriend.

He had always thought he was a pretty smooth talker, but despite his many approaches, Kaminari was sadly getting used to being rejected.

But no more! His high school life had begun and the pitiful Kaminari from middle school was a thing of the past! He needed to look cool, and his father had always said that first impressions were very important.

And what better way to do just that than to bravely save a damsel in distress?

Kaminari confidently raised his hand in the air, "I'll volunteer!"

All eyes in the room swiveled instantly to him and Kaminari gulped. He had never been able to garner this much attention instantly, and he almost lost his cool, but Kaminari managed to keep his voice steady as he repeated clearly, "I'll volunteer, sir!"

Gold eyes met charcoal black. A black haired girl was staring at him with wide eyes.

Kurumi Aizawa.

She was probably the hottest girl in this class. He thought his heart had missed a beat when he saw her come into class in the morning. Sharp features and porcelain skin. She had a feline charm to her that was definitely his type.

Kaminari gave her the coolest smile he could muster as he gave her a thumbs-up. Kurumi blinked before she smiled back, bowing her head slightly in gratitude.

Kaminari could feel it. A flag had been raised.

* * *

"All riiight~! I'm in!" Mina Ashido had become curious. What was the relationship between these two? Kurumi Aizawa and Shouta Aizawa. Father and daughter? Uncle and niece? Mina was prepared to bet her money on the former.

Besides, once a classmate, a classmate until the very end! Mina wasn't about to lose a potential friend without a fight! And it would be sad to be the only odd number when every other class had twenty students each! That was why, she had decided to come to Kurumi Aizawa's aid!

They would get through this problem together! That's what friends are for, right~? Mina flashed Kurumi a bright smile and the black haired girl awkwardly scratched her cheek.

Oh, that reaction was cute!

"I'll be the fourth volunteer~!" The pink-skinned girl sang.

* * *

Manly. That was the first thing that came to Eijiro Kirishima's mind as he saw the four students rising to their fellow classmate's aids.

Kirishima clenched his fists. And among them, Mina Ashido. Just as she had done in middle school, the girl had shown little hesitance in lending her aid to a person in need.

Kirishima combed a finger through his spiky hair. Good bye to his pathetic middle-school days.

 _A life without regret._

This would be his first step. Kirishima raised his hand, and all eyes were on him now. His manly spirit was pulsing in his veins as Kirishima opened his mouth, "I'll do it!"

Mina caught Kirishima's eyes. She had a wide smile on her face with a hint of teasing and Kirishima looked away with a faint blush to his cheeks. His red eyes met coal black and the boy, who had inherited Crimson Riot's spirit offered Kurumi his aid, "I'll help you."

* * *

Ground Beta. It was the place where Kurumi had her practical exam. Granted, she knew that around a dozen of these identical training grounds existed throughout the property of U.A.. Therefore, she couldn't say for sure if Ground Beta had been the exact place where she had taken her practical exam. But she was familiar with this city-like environment.

Despite it being nothing more than a model, Kurumi found the empty city unnatural. It honestly really did look like it was capable of housing inhabitants and function like a proper city. With nobody there, but her and a few of her classmates, and her father, she felt like they were in the middle of a ghost city.

Kurumi looked behind her. One girl and two boys. They had stayed behind willingly, to fight for her, while the rest of the class had gone home. Kurumi felt a surge of gratitude and a feeling of warmth for these three people.

They had given her a hand, to someone they didn't know. Them meeting her could have ended as a chance-meeting, among millions that came and were to come. But they had not let her become one in millions and had offered her their hands. Fate had bigger plans for them all, it seemed.

"I can't begin to express how grateful I am to all of you-" Kurumi fidgeted with her skirt. They could have just ignored all of this and went home. This wasn't their problem at all, and Kurumi was eternally grateful.

"Don't sweat it!" Kurumi tensed as the pink-skinned girl sang carefreely, slinging an arm over Kurumi's shoulder, "We're Class 1-A! We're friends, comrades through thick and thin!"

"F-friends? We only just met today," Kurumi stuttered.

"Who's to say we won't be in the future?" Her black sclera and yellow irises seemed to twinkle and Kurumi felt her gaze soften.

" _The future is filled with so many possibilities…!"_ A woman with honey-blonde hair flashed at the back of her mind. It was the sweetest smile and Kurumi smiled, the feeling of being dipped in honey washing over her with a gentle breeze.

She had a feeling she'd get along with this girl.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Kurumi said softly.

"The pleasure's all mine!" The girl winked, "Name's Mina Ashido, but just call me Mina!"

"Of course," Kurumi smiled, "Kurumi Aizawa." She said jabbing a thumb at herself, "You can call me whatever you want."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, ummm." Kurumi turned to the other two boys, who were standing behind Mina. Come to think of it, she didn't know their names yet.

"Kirishima. Eijiro Kirishima."

"Denki Kaminari at your service."

They answered her unsaid question.

Kurumi smiled, "It's nice to meet you, Kirishima, Kaminari. I'm in your debts. If you need anything-"

"Don't sweat it!" Kirishima puffed out his chest, "I only did what any man would do! No need to thank me!"

"We didn't do anything yet, you know." Kaminari winked, "Let's talk after we win this fight, yeah?"

"It's gonna be easy~!" Mina laughed, "All we have to do is grab him, right?"

"Yep." Kirishima nodded his head in agreement, but he somehow didn't look so convinced.

Such kind-hearted people.

Kurumi turned to the last two. Her closest friends. To the two people she trusted with all her heart-

"Deku!" Kurumi grinned fiercely.

Izuku clenched his fists and gave the black haired girl a big nod.

They didn't say anything, but somethings were better understood unsaid.

Kurumi forced her head to turn to the final one. He had been the first one to help and he had shown little hesitance in that. She couldn't believe Katsuki Bakugo would go this far just for her, but-

"Well, ummm…" Kurumi blushed when their eyes met, "I guess…I can thank you too, Baka-go."

Bakugo clicked his tongue as he looked away, "Don't get the wrong idea, Eyepatch."

Kurumi blinked.

"I'm only doing this because I want to fight him." His red eyes were trained on Kurumi's father as the man waited patiently before them.

Kurumi blushed in humiliation. So that's how it was. She felt stupid, being all flabbergasted that Katsuki Bakugo would go this far for her. Actually, it made her more comfortable, knowing he had another reason other than anything so noble. Yes, she preferred this. This was how Bakugo should be. Not some silly knight in shining armor!

"Hmmph!" Kurumi puffed out her chest and looked pointedly away, "Right, I forgot. You're that kind of guy."

Kurumi turned to the front. Shouta Aizawa was there, his dull eyes unfocused and staring into space, but they refocused when Kurumi gave a fake cough to bring him out of his thoughts.

"Are you ready?" Shouta blinked lazily.

Shouta lowered himself into a stance, and Kurumi mirrored him perfectly. Two years. She had done this so many times she could probably do it in her sleep. She knew his every stance, every movement, and every skill and technique at his arsenal that he could deploy in this fight.

And what he had, was also made hers during the past two years. It was now time to see the fruit of her labor. Her muscles were taut, her breathing even and her balance was perfect. Her senses were sharp and she could feel the rapid beat of her heart.

Shouta's hair twisted and flailed, rising to the air as if gravity had decided to exert its force the opposite way. His binding cloth hummed to life, taut and ready. His dull eyes seemed to flash red, sharpening to that befitting of a predator.

Kurumi's hair did the very same. Flowing, dancing to a non-existent breeze, and her own binding cloth curled around her neck and they seemed to hiss like a pair of snakes, tense and ready to strike with the flick of her wrist.

Her midnight iris flashed, cold and sharp, but as her fringe curled upwards into the air, her other eye could not be seen, covered by an eyepatch Shouta had given her two years ago.

' _You're my number 1 hero, dad. Always was, always will be. But I won't let you get in my way. Today, right here, I'll surpass you with the very things you taught me!'_ Kurumi could already see how her father would move. Here, in battle, there was nobody else who understood Shouta Aizawa better than Kurumi Aizawa herself. Armed with his very legacy, the daughter challenged her father.

Their movements were identical, their breathing simultaneous and their hair and capture weapon swayed to the same rhythm. Coal black met coal black, and Kurumi licked her dry lips.

She could hear the other five students shift into position behind her, and Kurumi narrowed her eye.

"Let's do this, Class 1-A!" Mina let out a yell.

Shouta cocked his head, "Come at me with everything you've got, fledglings."

Kurumi didn't know who moved first. All she knew was that she was on the ground before she could process what had happened.

 **To be** **continued**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Future She Saw**

Katsuki Bakugo's fierce roar replaced the crack of explosion that normally should have detonated from his palms. His fist sailed through empty air and Bakugo scowled as the man in front of him dodged it effortlessly. For the first time in his life, Bakugo felt what it was like to be quirkless. The man's bloodshot eyes were staring into him, into his very soul and locking away a part of Bakugo that made him who he was.

His binding cloth writhed around his form, easily blocking a swipe from Kirishima that had snuck up on him from behind. Mina yelped as Kirishima was flung onto her and Kaminari had long since lost all the confidence that he had boasted after he had been spectacularly thrown face-first into the concrete in the initial brawl.

Izuku was likewise, standing back, but his eyes had a shine of focus to them. The nerd that he was, Bakugo knew the green haired midget was analyzing the man's fighting style and pattern, something he always did for any hero he came across. He was probably racking his brain, trying to come up with some sort of plan. There were situations where brute force was of little help and Bakugo couldn't help but think this was one of those times. Though Bakugo would never ever forgive himself for acknowledging it, the situation had turned into something where he was buying time until the damned nerd came up with an answer to this bull-shit problem.

And Kurumi, well, she wasn't in the best of shapes. A nasty bruise was swelling on her cheek, and her lips were bleeding. She was cursing as she stood up from where she had fallen and Bakugo had since lost count of how many times her father had knocked Kurumi to the ground.

Her binding cloth lunged forth like twin snakes and Bakugo didn't miss the moment Shouta Aizawa's eyes flickered away from him and onto Kurumi.

 _An opening._

Bakugo's palms exploded with the familiar sensation of heat and he was propelled forward in great speed as he lunged for the man's wrists.

All they had to do was just grab onto him!

His wrist!

Even his sleeve!

But it was like the man had eyes at the back of his head. He effortlessly slid Bakugo's hand away and kicked him in the back. Bakugo stumbled straight into Kurumi, who had been attempting another swipe on the other side.

"Ooof!"

"Ugyaak!"

Soft. A strong scent of lilac profilerated Bakugo's nose and he felt something squishy at his cheek.

 _Shit_.

Bakugo already knew what that was before he opened his eyes. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he tried to untangle himself from her flailing limbs.

"Get off!" Kurumi didn't seem to register anything else but the fight in front of them. The adrenaline rushing through her veins dismissing anything else as of little importance and Bakugo was left, feeling a little dumb that he was the only one here getting embarrased here.

And it was definitely his imagination that Shouta Aizawa's eyes had grown colder and his aura more menacing, right?

Right?!

It was this man's fault he had fallen on top of Kurumi in the first place!

Kurumi spat onto the ground. Her expression was fierce, almost deadly, a glint of madness swimming in the only eye revealed to the world and he felt a little unsettled. This was a side to her Bakugo had never seen before. It was like she had stepped one foot into the pit of madness. Bakugo pursed his lips.

"Wait, Eyepatch." Bakugo growled as he grabbed her shoulder.

"Get off!" Kurumi snapped, but Bakugo only gripped her tighter.

And it was when Bakugo refused to let go at all that Kurumi turned her half-crazed eye toward the ash blonde, "What the fuck do you want?!"

"Right back at you," Bakugo half snapped and half scowled at her callouse choice of words.

"Just charging at him like a dumbass bull ain't gonna do shit!"

"None of your business!" Kurumi retaliated, " I can beat him!"

"After smashing your face into the concrete over ten times?!" Bakugo scorned, "Forget it, Aizawa! You can't hold a candle to him!"

For a moment, it seemed as if Kurumi was going to lunge at him. There was such fury in her eye, even fiercer than the emotions that burned in the morning when Bakugo had lifted his hand against Izuku Midoriya.

But it was only a split moment before everything, the fire, anger and madness drained from her eye and Kurumi ceased to struggle in his grip. And suddenly she was the Kurumi, Bakugo had known all his life again.

"Then, what am I supposed to do…?" She whispered as she slumped.

"Nerd." Bakugo said simply.

"Nerd?" Kurumi repeated, not understanding.

"Kurumi! Kacchan!" Izuku Midoriya was sprinting their way. He had left the stands and entered the stage at last.

Kirishima, Mina and Kaminari naturally flocked to their sides and Shouta Aizawa stood still, watching them with bored eyes. The man had adopted a waiting position, never attacking and never directly retaliating either and only adopting the smallest of movements to null all their attacks. It was obvious he was intending to continue this until their stamina was all but drained.

But because of this, time was on their side.

And Izuku had drawn a plan in his head.

"Okay, guys...I've got a plan…"

* * *

From what Izuku could see, though the quirk of erasure was a powerful quirk, it had several weaknesses.

First, unlike other quirks that could be applied and used in different ways like Bakugo's explosions, (Izuku had seen how flexible Bakugo was when bending the mechanics of his quirk to achieve different results such as a flash bang) the Erasure Head's quirk had but one use and nothing else. A simple but dangerous quirk nontheless. But it wouldn't have been an effective quirk in any other hands but in those incredibly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. For the quirk only dragged down the opponent to an equal stage as its user, it wouldn't have been very useful if the opponent still overshadowed the user in terms of basic combat prowess. But for Shouta Aizawa, this weakness didn't apply at all.

Second, from what Izuku had observed, it could only erase quirks in his line of sight. As long as they were in his sight, countless quirks could be erased, but that also meant as long as he couldn't see, they weren't bound to the effects of his quirk.

Third, there was a time limit to it. Izuku wasn't quite sure, but he could hazard a guess that it had something to do with blinking.

With that being said, Izuku couldn't thank the gods enough that their teacher had decided not to attack until they made their moves. If he had been serious, it would have been a massacre. Perhaps, Izuku had subconsciously underestimated their teacher because before the fight, when Kurumi had issued her challenge, with their number and conditions that were ever in their favor, Izuku had sincerely believed that they had a winning chance. But that had been a misassumption and if the man in front of them hadn't decided to go easy on them like he was doing right now, they wouldn't have had a winning chance at all.

A hero was a hero. Izuku shouldn't have expected anything less and the admiration and adoration for heroes burned ever higher in Izuku's chest.

Anyways, since their teacher hadn't any intention of moving and had silently adopted waiting for them to make a move, the six had all the time in the world to take their positions under Izuku's instructions.

"Hey, you know what?" Mina chirped cheerfully, "This just might work!"

"Yeah! You're amazing, Midoriya!" Kirishima threw the green haired boy a thumbs up, "Finding all that about his quirk in that short amount of time!"

"I'm gonna fucking kill you if this doesn't work."

"Don't talk like that to Deku!"

"Uuuuh, guys…? We're y'know, in the middle of a fight?" Kaminari awkwardly tried to placate the two.

* * *

Shouta Aizawa was surrounded. But it didn't seem like he felt that he was in any sort of danger. The way his shoulders still drooped told of how little he thought of this situation and them. Kurumi's pride had been dragged through the mud and she wanted to kick her past self for so proudly declaring her dad to a fight.

But she didn't have a choice, did she? Her eye softened when it landed on a tuft of seaweed hair. It was the only way she could think of. And her absolute faith in Deku was reverberating, telling her Deku's plan was going to work.

And tomorrow, she would be attending school with him like nothing had happened.

"Well?"

Kurumi's attention snapped back to the front.

Well, she couldn't keep her dad waiting for too long. Black clashed against black. Kurumi was determined to rip that bored look off his face.

* * *

Mina was concentrating all her attention to creating the weakest acid she could. So weak that it was akin to a slime like substance. Something almost lacking its acidic nature. Granted, Mina was unable to drag the percentage straight to zero, but she could make it to the point where it couldn't even damage human skin.

She had never used it this way and had always put her effort to mking the nastiest, deadliest fluid. Therefore, this was a first for her and was admittedly, not practiced or used to this side of her quirk. But it was still a part of her, a part of her ever since the age of four, and it was already something that could be done with just her instincts alone.

The results?

Mina was almost gliding across the concrete grounds, applying the most slippery, almost lotion like fluid, almost invisible to the naked eye, but still glistening in the evening sun, and weaving a second layer of skin upon the ground where she passed.

Discrete. As sneakily as possible. Around his back so that his powers would not be able to affect her whilst she laid her trap. All the while giving the impression that she was looking for an opening in his guard that really wasn't there

Mina Ashido was crafting a web around their teacher.

And while Mina was painting the streets in her fluids(?), Kirishima was the centre of attention. Mina was under the pretense of circling around their teacher, looking for an opening to strike while she drew her web and Kirishima was the tank, doing all the attacking, taking all the hits and keeping the man's focus on him until the rest of the team completed their preparations.

And Kirishima was proud of his role.

The tank of the group!

How manly!

Gladly taking the damage for the team!

His spirit was roaring, ever pushing down the familiar scent of fear that bubbled somewhere deep in the pit of his soul. It was something he could never forget, something he had come to accept. He relished in it now and strength, strength like none before flowed through him and his skin hardened as he charged recklessly at Shouta Aizawa.

And this strength, Kirishima believed, was the very same strength that flowed through the veins of the hero, Crimson Riot.

No matter how weak, no matter how incomplete, Kirishima believed in his soul, that what he felt right now was nontheless a portion, a fraction of the source of strength that made Crimson Hero the hero he was.

Derived from the same source and the same origin. A small step. Still a step nontheless, Kirishima was one step closer to the hero he so admired. The red haired boy almost laughed at the ecstasy he felt then.

"Oraoraoraora!" Kirishima howled as he threw one fist after another. He didn't care if his skin had long since lost its hardness. He didn't care that his hits weren't landing. He didn't care about the counters that were steadily building up damage on his person. At this moment, Kirishima was in a world of his own.

"S-scary…" Kaminari felt goosebumps as the spiky haired redhead continued to charge at their teacher without a second thought.

"Well, c'mere, you loser." Kaminari felt a chill at the back of his neck. Of course. He had forgotten there was an even scarier dude behind him right now.

Kaminari felt like a rag doll as he was hoisted up on Bakugo's shoulder.

"Are we really doing this?" Kaminari hiccuped, "I mean there's gotta be another way!"

"Hah?!" Kaminari hiccuped when he literally saw smoke steam from Bakugo's mouth. And he squirmed as the grip on his waist became hotter.

Oi! Explosion Face! Your hands! Your hands! You're gonna burn me! Hey, mister!

Kaminari clamped his mouth shut when the ash blonde flashed his eyes murderously at the electric blonde.

He was gonna die, wasn't he? Oh god, he didn't even get a girlfriend yet! His life… his life was all for naught.

"Here we go!" Bakugo roared savagely.

BOOOM!

Kaminari flew through the air, his tears sprinkling across the evening sky. A trail of smoke issued from Kaminari's butt, where Bakugo had not so subtly blasted him with. This… this wasn't what Kaminari had imagined himself to be doing! His new highschool life shouldn't have begun this way! This wasn't cool at all!

"ALSNBROMDODOEJSBIS!" It wasn't human language that issued from Kaminari's mouth as he sailed straight for Shouta Aizawa.

Limbs flailing, tears at his eyes, he was a human cannonball, barreling straight for the black haired man.

It was a mere second or two, but it was what cost Shouta his folly. Before his quirk took a hold of the electric blonde, Kaminari's fingers made contact with the binding cloth that was floating around him. The weapon coiling in a wide area around him protectively now acted as poison against him. It was made of a special kind of metal alloy, Kurumi had said. She didn't know what exactly it was, but if it was metal…. Kaminari's fingers cackled and a sharp spark of electricity traveled through the long scarf and into Shouta Aizawa's body before Kaminari's quirk was erased. It was a split second, but in those precious few seconds, Shouta's body had grown rigid. And that was all the opening Izuku needed to exploit.

Kirishima snatched a screaming Kaminari from the air and Izuku flicked his finger.

One For All manifested in a howling force of wind screaming its existence from the gap between his index finger and thumb. A gale, a disaster in and of itself that could make a grown man stumble a step or two. And it did just that. Izuku ignored the stinging pain as his bones broke, and he felt his quirk lock itself away as the angry red eyes of his teacher dug themselves into his soul. But the wind was an aftermath, a mere result from the sheer strength of One for All and couldn't therefore be negated.

And Shouta couldn't stop himself from taking a step back.

Izuku could hear Kurumi take a small gasp and he silently realized that Kurumi didn't yet know of this power that he had been gifted…

But he howled his signal, pushing the thought back and Kurumi moved almost on instinct before she could voice her question.

Kurumi Aizawa lunged for her father, her binding cloth snapping for his undefended and unbalanced body. Black hair of similar length and similar color twisted toward the sky in an identical manner. Charcoal iris, a mirror to the other and twin tails of white cloth snapping at each other's heels.

In every way, Izuku could see and feel that the two of them were family in blood.

And Shouta Aizawa retaliated in the only way he could to her charge and in the way Izuku had fully intended him to. He took a leap back straight into Mina's slippery trap.

It was almost invisible to the naked eye, and it was already produced, now outside of the authority of Mina's quirk and therefore unable to be erased. Mina blew a playful kiss to Shouta Aizawa as the man slipped. Bakugo charged like a bull toward him and though his powers had been erased, he didn't slow down. Kurumi leapt another step forward.

But it wasn't enough. Like some trained skater, Shouta spun around and batted Bakugo's outstretched hands to the side. Unlike Shouta, Bakugo hadn't the experience nor the time to find his footing on Mina's webs. And without the support of his powers, Bakugo crashed unceremoniously to the ground, skidding away without the presence of fraction to halt him quickly. The same was done to Kurumi and she slid away on her butt, no longer able to find her balance on that slippery surface.

Kaminari attempted to send electricity through the slippery field, but Shouta was one step ahead, and the blonde's powers were nulled.

Silence.

The six students watched in disbelief as Shouta leisurely skated across the webs Mina had lain and onto normal concrete.

It was an elaborate plan, but what trained hero would lose their cool on some slippery ground? Only third-rate heroes would fall for such child's play and even then, it wasn't something that would have worked in a real situation against notorious villains.

Child's play. Just that.

Creative indeed, and Shouta couldn't deny that he had been pleasantly surprised, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. After all, they were only fifteen and he was already over thirty, with over ten years of experience in his career as a hero.

There was a time once, when he would have found himself falling for such a trap. Shouta closed his eyes in nostalgia. But then, _she_ would have been there with him to watch his back.

Shouta shook his head with a chuckle and he opened his bloodshot eyes.

It had only been ten years. He was still in his prime and far from retirement, but he sometimes felt so, so tired. Being a hero wasn't all hopes and dreams as some made them out to be.

"Well?" He questioned, "Is that it?"

The six students before him fell into dumb silence. Nobody moved and Shouta knew that had been all that there was to their schemes. And with that failure, they had surely lost their will to fight.

Shouta found his eyes landing on a certain green haired boy. He had been the one to devise this plan, hadn't he? It was child's play to him, but this boy was still fifteen. Would that child's play continue even as he grew up? No, as his thoughts become more mature, Shouta had a feeling his cunning and wits would become possibly deadly. When he first met him, Shouta hadn't thought much of him, but he realized his judgment had failed him then. Shouta found himself wondering what Izuku Midoriya would be capable of in the future. On the other hand- his eyes found Kurumi Aizawa on the ground. She was on all fours, her shoulders trembling whether from tears or exertion, Shouta couldn't tell.

His beloved daughter.

The only piece he had left of _her._

He didn't want to lose Kurumi the way he had lost _her_ , and the way his daughter seemed to spiral down a path of anger, Shouta knew there was only a bleak future ahead. Anger lead to recklessness. And recklessness clouded one's judgment. And misjudgment could very well mean death in the path of a hero.

And with her fighting talents or rather, lack thereof, he could only imagine her becoming a third-rate hero or nothing more than a permanent sidekick.

Unless she would use her quirk, but even that, she stubbornly refused.

And in that state, she stubbornly declares that she wants to become a hero to find a notorious murderer. A villain that had escaped the eyes of heroes and the police alike for over two years. A villain that had defeated the Foresight Hero: Seer herself.

Stupid didn't even begin to describe her actions.

Shouta crouched in front of his daughter's trembling form. He reached out a hand, gently patting the crown of her head. He remembered. Kurumi loved it when he did this, didn't she?

' _Daddy, I love the feel of your fingers in my hair!'_

Shouta had forgotten. How long had it been since he had last done this for her? Heck, how long had it been since he had last hugged her? Regret and sorrow bubbled within him now that it was all over.

Shouta had succeeded. Kurumi would now be expelled and he would make her go back to a normal highscool. A normal life with a normal career. A normal future, far apart from all the shenanigans that came from being a hero. That was the life he would grant her.

Kurumi would understand.

He was doing this for her.

This way, she would be safe…

"Dad," Kurumi's voice was hoarse as she lifted her head. There was plea in her voice, but her eye hadn't yet lost the crazed fire that continued to burn ever since that night. "I can't…"

Shouta pursed his lips.

They had come unnecessarily far for an unnecessary fight all because of Kurumi's stubbornness, but now it was time to draw the line.

"In the end, you weren't able to catch up to me," Shouta murmured softly. He ran his fingers through his daughter's messy hair. He felt her shaking. Her head was bowed as she hunched over on the concrete ground and Shouta moved to draw her into a gentle embrace.

"Not yet! The fight isn't over yet!"

It was the green haired boy. Izuku Midoriya. Shouta sighed.

"You said it yourself, Mr. Aizawa! It's not over until all six of us are unable to fight! And I can still move!"

Izuku Midoriya channeled One for All into his finger, the very marrows of his bone thrumming with power and then-

-it was gone.

Shoulder-length hair floated upwards and red, deadly eyes stared deep into his very soul. Izuku Midoriya became the same quirkless boy he had been his entire life.

But the fire still burned bright and strong behind his emerald irises. No longer did he cower away. No longer did he hesitate. Even without One for All, Izuku had his spirit, forged at the hands of All Might and-

"-Kurumi!"

And even without One for All, he still had his legs and fists.

Nobody moved. Nobody moved, but Izuku Midoriya. And he was sent sprawling away as Shouta's scarf threw him to the ground.

"Stand up, everyone!"

Shouta's scarf knocked him back down.

"We can-"

Izuku stood up.

"Still-"

Shouta's scarf knocked him back down again.

"-Fight!"

Izuku stood up again.

"Kurumi!"

Shouta clicked his tongue. He tried for a different approach. At once, his twin tails of binding cloth snaked around the charging boy, and restrained his arms and legs. Izuku fell to the ground, immobilized and unable to move. But his mouth kept on moving.

"Kurumi! You were so excited that we were attending the same school, remember? You said we were going to become heroes together! You said I was going to become the greatest hero and you'd be with me every step of the way!"

"Enough!" Shouta hissed, "It's over now! With this, the fight is over. All six of you are-"

"Bullshit."

BOOOOM!

It was instincts and reflexes that saved the black haired man this time. Heat and smoke erupted around him, blocking his vision and Shouta stepped back quickly, his senses sharpening and prepared to defend from a follow-up attack.

It never came.

"Shitty Deku. Don't get in over your head. The one, who's going to become the greatest hero is me."

Deadly, red eyes glowed from the fading curtains of smoke and Shouta activated his quirk, feeling his ability subduing the ash blonde as it locked away his quirks.

But Katsuki Bakugo didn't seem intent on pursuing him any further. Instead he crouched down and roughly ruffled Kurumi's hair.

"Get up, weakling. How long are you going to look down like that, stupid?"

It was like Bakugo's loud explosion had acted as a trigger.

The rest of their classmates stirred from their stupor as they began to gather around.

Kirishima was the worst in shape. His gym uniform was tattered, and he looked like he could keel over any second. It was understandable, since he had recklessly faced their teacher and kept his attention until Mina had finished her trap.

"Class 1-A forever!" Mina Ashido cheered weakly. She seemed the least tired out of the group, but- "Hey, guys. I used up all my acid. It's going to take time to recharge…"

"Ugh. M-me too. One more discharge and I-I'm out…" Kaminari was struggling to keep his face from slacking, but his facial muscles were threatening to go loose any moment.

Kurumi stared at the people around her with a bleary eye. And she felt a little stupid for being the only one on the ground, so she took Bakugo's hand and staggered to her feet.

Izuku had a faintly proud look on his face as he surveyed the group around Kurumi. Green eyes met black. And as the setting Sun dipped a little further below, Izuku Midoriya was strongly reminded of the day they had first met.

It had been on a large, grassy field, Izuku recalled. There had been a cute river snaking down the middle and the Sun had been setting. He had been feeling down and she had smiled and told him simple words, but they had been words that he had wanted to hear. She had blown on the embers of his aching heart.

A child had been saved that day and he remembered her eyes. One a deep black and the other, the most brilliant color of gold. He remembered how he had found them pretty and Izuku found himself moving before he could stop himself.

And Kurumi's eyepatch fell to the ground.

The color of honey, of the brightest gold and fiercest amber stared quietly back at him. There still was a mad glint to her eyes, but Izuku found even that beautiful. It was just like then. Just like when they had firstmet.

' _You don't need a quirk to be a hero, y'know. Daddy told me that all you needed is a selfless heart-'_

' _You're not useless. You made a difference.'_

Her words back then had surely saved him. And Izuku idly realized, that becoming a hero didn't necessarily mean that you had to become socially accepted as a pro. It didn't mean that you had to achieve a license that acknowledged you as one.

Because that day, a boy had been saved and in that boy's heart-

-she was already his hero.

Her courage. Her out-going personality. Her strength. Her words. She could even go up against Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku had been saved each time by these parts of her he had come to admire and love.

It was an embarrassing secret. Something he hadn't realized until he had put it into words, but surely his heart had acknowledged her as so.

Their teacher had said it so harshly, _"Becoming a hero isn't possible for you."_

But here, right now, Izuku could confidently say it now. Just like she had said it for him. This time, he would-

"You _can_ become a hero, Kurumi."

It was a whisper, but Izuku was sure Kurumi caught it nontheless.

 _'Because you already are one."_ He swallowed the words that would have come after had he not clenched his teeth shut.

As one, who had loved heroes since a child, that probably was why he had fallen in love with her in the first place.

There were so many things he hadn't said. All he had offered her were a few words, but-

 _Look around, Kurumi._

 _We haven't left you._

 _You aren't alone._

And that was worth a thousand words.

Was it the light of the setting sun or something else? A hint of sanity seemed to return to Kurumi Aizawa's crazed eyes.

* * *

Shouta felt his face twist as he saw the students all huddled together. Confusion made his eyebrows rise as they took a step back, but he bit his lips as his daughter broke away from the group and stepped forth.

There was a time once when he had looked at that color of gold and thought it beautiful. There was a time once when he had looked into it and found solace.

But now, a pair of heterochromic eyes caught his own and Shouta felt his face twist even further.

Stop.

How?

Why now?

After all this time.

"Dad…"

Shouta shuddered. Somehow he couldn't look at his daughter properly anymore. Her voice was weak, but had a hint of steel to it and he could only take a step away from her.

And then, he was fighting again. He wanted to say this fight was over. He wanted to tell her there was nothing she could do, but only air escaped his open lips as Shouta dodged another swing from his daughter.

Her movements had changed. Her attacks were more precise. It was as if her body was being guided by an invisible force. Her techniques, her guard and her movements were still all so sloppy, but Shouta found himself taking another a step back.

He sent his scarf at her at angles she wouldn't be expecting. But they meshed with Kurumi's own scarf, stopping it before it ever reached her body.

His thoughts were in disarray and confused, and his heart was beating irregularly. Shouta felt a shaky breath leave him as Kurumi's fist sailed past his head a little too closely.

She wasn't fighting like he had taught her anymore. There was no elegance, no experience and no pattern to her fighting style. It was full of holes, sloppy, filled with unnecessary movements and wild. And yet, it was like Shouta's thoughts were being read. Every retaliation he made was blocked by a counter that was prepared half-a-step beforehand.

It was like she knew what he would be doing before he did it. The flow of battle had long since left his grasp as Shouta took another step back. Everything he did was being read perfectly, every one of his movements laid bare.

Imagine a seasoned veteran fighting a normal citizen, and find that veteran being driven into a corner.

It didn't make sense. It was unreasonable. It was frustrating and beyond his comprehension. But it was an ever so familiar experience.

And before he could do anything about it, something collided heavily with his chest.

"I-"

Shouta flinched as he fell to the ground. She was warm on his chest and quite heavy. He blatantly realized how much she had grown.

"I caught you, dad."

And the fight was truly over.

Shouta closed his eyes.

* * *

It was an evening not unlike this one. The Sun had yet to kiss the horizon, but the sky had been dyed deep in hues of red and orange. Under the red glow of the evening sky, he was there.

And she was beside him.

Hair, a dazzling gold that fell to her slender waist and skin so pale that it almost glowed in the coming dark, a girl walked along his side.

"I love you, Shou."

She said it as if commenting on the weather, but her words were heavy, as if drenched in honey. He could feel the emotions therein, threatening to overwhelm him as her voice did his eardrums.

He glanced sideways.

And eyes of molten gold stared back.

"Why?"

It was a familiar pattern. This wasn't the first time she had confessed after all. This wasn't the second time either. They had done this so many times the boy had lost count quite a while ago.

"Hmmm, must there be a reason for love?" The girl put a dainty finger to her pink lips.

Everything about her seemed to glow and the boy felt his dry eyes tire further.

"I don't know." He had to tear his eyes away as the girl threw him a bright smile.

"Always so shy," The girl laughed.

A gentle breeze blew past the both of them as they walked and the boy felt his nose wrinkle at her fragrance. It was the scent of lilac.

"So, will you go out with me?"

She broke the silence again. This too, had become a pattern. The boy had long since lost count.

And the boy answered as he had always done with silence.

The girl pouted, "I'm beginning to think you hate me."

"…It's just baffling," He answered in his usual dull tone.

"I love you, Shou." She said again.

"Why?" He repeated.

Just as they had always done. It was a long tug of war. But it surely had an end. And that end wasn't unknown.

Because afterall-

"You can see the future," the boy abruptly said.

The girl blinked before a sad smile touched her lips, "Cheat ability, I know."

"But what I see isn't a linear line, you know?"

The boy cocked his head. She hadn't gone into detail of the specifics of her quirk before.

"I'm not really sure myself," the girl shrugged, "But how I see it, is that what I see are possibilities."

The boy cocked his head in confusion.

"The future is a malleable thing. It's so easy to mold, shift and change. One small action is enough to give birth to multiple futures," The girl reached her arms to the heavens above, "So many futures, so many paths, so many possibilities! And the world we're living in is only one of them."

Amber eyes burned strong as she gazed into the red horizon and they glowed, _literally_ glowed as she saw what he could not see.

"Must be confusing," the boy muttered as he scratched his shoulder-length hair.

"Hmmm?"

"The future, I meant. There must be millions. Isn't it confusing?" he elaborated.

"Pffft."

"?" The boy frowned.

"Ahahahahaha!" The laughter that burst from her lips was like a fresh breeze on a hot Summer day. But the boy frowned further, wondering if what he had said was something to laugh about.

"You're right, ahahahaha! It is confusing!" The girl continued to giggle, "Sometimes I get so confused, I forget. I lose track of myself, of where I am and what path I was walking. There's so much information that I can't process all of it, you see? Ahahaha."

"What's so funny?"

The girl's laughter turned to giggles and those giggles dissipated away into thin air. And amber eyes quietly met eyes of black as the boy glanced at her sideways with a questioning look.

The girl took her time to push her hair past her ear. The tip of her ear was slightly red.

"You're the first to say that."

"?"

"You're not the first one I've explained my quirk to. Stupid Shou. Whenever the topic of my quirk comes up, the first thing people usually ask me are about their own futures. But I can't tell them because there are so many of them. The farther ahead in time, the more these paths branch out, so I couldn't tell them even if I wanted to."

"But you, Shou. You were different. Congratulations." The girl gave him a light applause and a warm smile, "You're the first one to ask about _me."_

The boy didn't really understand why he felt good there and then.

"And," the girl continued, "I laughed because I was just happy, I guess. That this was the kind of guy I fell in love with."

The boy coughed and the girl grinned.

"I did say that I sometimes lose track, right? That I can't keep count of everything that I see. That I sometimes find myself lost in the things I see."

The girl rounded on him suddenly, and the boy had to take a step back. They were face to face now and their eyes met for a brief moment. His eyes were a dull black and blood-shot. The boy somehow felt inadequate and his tired eyes buckled under the girl's golden gaze.

But her voice continued as strong as ever nevertheless.

"I have an anchor that keeps me rooted to the present. I told you, right? That the future is only a possibility. It hasn't happened. It isn't real. The future isn't the present and I exist only here-"

Her hands gripped onto his school uniform and the boy took a step back. The girl took a step forward.

"Ever since the day we met, ever since that time I met you, the futures that branched out from then all had one thing in common."

The boy could barely breathe now. His eyes couldn't escape her gaze forever. And black met gold once more.

"And because of that, when I see all those paths, futures, possibilities, and see so many different things, but find that one factor unchanged, I find myself releived. And I can safely tell myself that all of this is only an extension of the present I am in right now."

"I'm not really sure I get it." The boy whispered a low grumble.

The Sun had gone down now and in the dark, the boy could see it clearly; how those orbs of amber were alight in a light glow and how they gazed yet again at something he could not see.

"Don't you want to know what it is that didn't change over all those futures?" Her words were barely a whisper and her breath touched his lips. The scent of lilac filled his nose and the boy wondered when she had come this close.

"It's that Renai Nighteye always fell in love with Shouta Aizawa."

"…"

"In every timeline, every future, every path."

"…"

"Always."

"…"

"You are my anchor, Shou. And I'm here because you are by my side-"

Amber eyes were closed now. No longer was she looking at something the boy could not see. She was here now, feeling what he felt, hearing what he heard and seeing what he saw.

"Isn't it romantic? My love transcends time."

With her words in his ears, the boy idly wondered if she had already known, no _, seen_ this would happen all along.

Shouta didn't move.

Their lips met.

 **Hello. Long time no see! Sorry it took so long to get a new chapter out if there** _ **was**_ **somebody waiting. I apologize to that person and am eternally grateful you even remembered this story.**

 **Anyways, I'm going to try to put an effort into putting out more chapters!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **And reviews, helpful feedbacks are always greatly appreciated. They help me grow as a writer and give me motivation as one too!**


	11. Chapter 11

**That Which Was Lost** (1)

Katsuki Bakugo was glaring holes into his food. He stabbed his spoon into the rice and stirred it roughly. He pulled it up and shoved whatever came up with the utensil into his mouth.

He chewed vigorously before attempting to swallow, but there was a lump in his throat that made the task ten times more difficult.

He risked a glance to the front. A girl stared back at him as she slowly chewed her own food. Kurumi Aizawa's black iris glistened with an intent Bakugo could not surmise as the girl continued to stare at him. Her small mouth continued to chew whatever food she rhetorically pushed into those thin lips. The cafeteria was loud and crowded, but the silence between them had Bakugo completely stumped.

"What do you want?" Bakugo finally had to ask.

Kurumi crossed her legs as she leaned forward, pointing at him with her fork.

"You're pretty handsome when I look at you closely."

There she went with her random comments again. Bakugo scrunched his face, fighting back the flush that otherwise would have made it apparent on his cheek.

"I thought you weren't going to talk to me ever again?"

"You and I both know that's not going to happen," Kurumi pouted, "I'm here to apologize, I guess. I don't want any crumbs, so I wanted that off my chest."

Bakugo clicked his tongue before he shovelled more food down his throat. He needed something to concentrate on or else, his eyes would end up meeting hers.

"Look. I'm sorry for saying all those things back then. And I was thinking, you probably feel the same way, don't you? You'd prefer not to have any loose ends." Kurumi pushed on, leaning further toward him.

"So I was thinking, you should apologize to Deku too."

"No." The answer came out even before he had made up his mind. It was an automatic mechanism as if his very being rejected the thought.

"Bakugo, it's about time you two reconciled and became friends again!"

Bakugo growled.

Kurumi persisted, "Remember before? How it was always the three of us? We can hang out again just like the old days."

Bakugo furrowed his brows at the memory. How he viewed their childhood differed greatly from Kurumi Aizawa version. It had never been the three of them. It had always been the two of them, Kurumi and himself while Izuku Midoriya had been like a moth to a flame, following after them and continuously bothering them. Izuku had always been the wedge that drove Kurumi away from him. It had never been the three of them and Bakugo refuted that on a fundamental level.

"That's not going to happen, Eyepatch."

Ignoring the frustrated look on Kurumi's face, Bakugo pointed his spoon at her face.

"So why are you still wearing that eyepatch? You took it off during the fight yesterday." Bakugo attempted to change the subject.

A coal eye narrowed before she sighed, deciding to take the bait. She rubbed her eyepatch, letting the matter with Izuku drop for now. They'd have plenty of time to fix this damaged relationship.

After all, they were in the same class.

"Well, it feels more comfortable this way." Kurumi muttered.

"Comfortable…" Bakugo chewed over his words as much as the rice in his mouth. "Does it suppress your quirk or something?" He had always been curious of Kurumi's quirk, but she had never actually told him anything even remotely related to it. He knew of her father's quirk. But that was just about everything he knew.

Bakugo tested the waters. It had always felt as if Kurumi had an aversion to discussions about her quirk, but the way the fight yesterday had drawn to a conclusion was as bizarre as it was anti-climatic. He couldn't help it.

Kurumi blinked, but Bakugo could find no trace of displeasure or discomfort in her expression at having mentioned about her quirk, "Yes. I mean it's more mentally rather than-"

"You can see the future, can't you?" Bakugo talked over her. He couldn't help it. His patience had been a thin layer of ice this whole time. He'd seen how she'd fought yesterday. And he remembered years back. Before Kurumi had disappeared from his life. Before that incident at the park.

He remembered the woman that had been Kurumi Aizawa's mother. He'd seen her eyes glow. He'd seen her make strange predictions of things that hadn't yet happened.

He'd asked the woman once about her quirk. She had ruffled his spiky hair and had merely smiled in return. But Bakugo had an inkling.

Quirks were very often passed down from parent to child.

All of it could be Bakugo's wild guess. It could be his imagination, but it had been solidifying to certainty ever since he saw Kurumi fight yesterday and Bakugo spat it out of his mouth before it could turn into anything more.

Something flickered In Kurumi's black iris. It was something akin to uncertainty, but it was snuffed out as quickly as it had come. Kurumi shrugged her shoulders playfully and smiled.

It was the same smile her mother had worn when he'd asked her all those years before.

But if that was true, if her quirk allowed her to see something beyond… there was something Bakugo had to ask. In order to tame the fear that had suddenly shot a chill through his veins. This strange feeling of something so weak and wicked that Bakugo himself couldn't quite put a finger on, but it was something he always tasted on the tip of his tongue everytime he saw Deku following him around…

"That night. The night you and Deku had a fight. You told me that Deku was going to become the greatest hero. And I always wondered why you were so sure of yourself… where did that confidence come from I wonder…?" Bakugo gripped his spoon and red eyes burned alight with flames that beat defiantly back at the trepidation that bubbled beneath his skin.

The rain had been unforgiving. The cold biting incessantly at his heels. And that glow from her amber eye that floated from between the curtains of darkness. Bakugo still remembered it as clearly as if it were yesterday.

"Was that something you saw in the future as well?"

His every cell was hanging onto her every movement. His heart was beating erratically. His mind was screaming for her denial and yet, why was it that Kurumi Aizawa seemed so hesitant to answer?

"What the fuck, Aizawa?" Bakugo muttered, "That's not true, right? Just say it! It's not true!"

"You're mistaken about something, Bakugo." Kurumi frowned.

"What?"

"It's about my quirk. It isn't-"

"Yo!"

Bakugo blinked before he turned around to glare at the boy, who had dared interrupt their conversation.

"Fuck off before I burn you, half-wit."

"Always a ball of sunshine, aren't you?" Denki Kaminari grimaced before he set his food tray and sat next to Kurumi. Bakugo nearly rocketed off his seat, but he was halted by the glare Kurumi threw him.

"Hello, Kaminari." Kurumi smiled.

"A pleasure, m'lady." Kaminari bowed in mock gesture.

Bakugo felt goosebumps travel up his arms. What the fuck was this loser?

The chair next to him scraped across the floor and his red eyes flickered irritably to the person, who dared to occupy the seat next to him. A small boy smiled up at him with a meek thumbs up. He had purple balls sprouting from his scalp.

"Do you want to die?" Bakugo growled threateningly.

Feeling a sense of satisfaction well up from within him as the small boy's eyes began to water, Bakugo raised his hackles against the two intruders. His hostile behavior was, however, immediately stomped out as Kurumi stepped on Bakugo's toes with force.

Denki Kaminari chortled as Bakugo shut his mouth with a flinch.

"Right," Kurumi sighed, "So what's up Kaminari?"

"Ah, well.." Kaminari flicked up his bangs and electricity cackled along the loose strands, "I thought we could hang out after school…or something?"

Kaminari's confidence seemed to wane with every word spoken as he ended his sentence with uncertainty. But Kurumi nodded with a smile, immediately flipping that uncertainty to confidence yet again.

"Sure. Why not? I owe you one for yesterday anyways."

"HAAAAH?!"

That was Bakugo as he slammed his hands onto the table. Smoke erupted in plumes from between his fingers, only barely managing to keep tact enough not to blow the table up in smithereens.

Bu the vein throbbing in his forehead showed dwindling patience, and Kurumi crossed her legs as she looked pointedly away.

"It has _nothing_ to do with you, Bakugo."

"Hey, Biribiri." Bakugo changed his strategy this time. If there was one thing he'd learned, it was that Kurumi Aizawa heeded his words very little. It was almost as if she was allergic to them.

"Biribiri? You talking about me, bro? I told you, my name is Kaminari." Kaminari scratched the back of his head as he began to dig into his lunch.

"Like I give a fuck about that." Bakugo grinned savagely, and he reached out to grab the blonde's collar.

"Geez." Kaminari chuckled.

Their foreheads met as electric yellow met fiery irises in a silent staring contest. Neither backed down and as the seconds ticked by, the vein in Bakugo's forehead throbbed and the savage grin on his face grew more forced.

"Biribiri, last warning. Fuck off."

"You act as if you're her boyfriend or something." Kaminari pointed out, "Wait, are you?"

"Hah? Of course not," Kurumi answered that question for Bakugo as she stabbed a tomato irritably with her fork.

The moment her fork penetrated the tomato, was the moment an image of Bakugo's lips hovering inches from her own struck her brain like lightning. Suddenly, Kurumi felt very annoyed. Bakugo hadn't mentioned anything about that at all. Almost a week had gone by since then and it was as if that day had never happened.

"Bakugo hates my guts." Kurumi said spitefully.

"Huhhhh?! When did I ever say that?!" Bakugo demanded.

"And I hate your guts too," Kurumi snapped, "Baka. Bakago."

Shoving the tomato into her mouth, she pushed out of her seat and promptly left the scene with her tray.

How does it end up that way, Bakugo found himself floored at how easily her mood had turned tables.

"Well, ouch…" Kaminari muttered.

* * *

"I am…. COMING IN THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" All Might's voice boomed in the classroom. There was surety, there was strength in his voice that reverberated the very marrow of their bones and made them tremble in their seats.

Such was the presence that filled the entire class of 1-A as the number one hero stepped into the scene.

But there was one student in this classroom who didn't share the sentiment with the rest. Kurumi Aizawa tucked a hand under her chin as she looked the other way.

"Hey, hey! It's All Might~ !" Mina Ashido squealed in her seat, bubbling in her fangirlism. She shook Kurumi's shoulder back and forth, but the black haired girl didn't reciprocate her excitement.

"What's wrong, Rumi?" Mina asked curiously.

The pink-skinned girl had skipped surname basis, ignored first name terms and gone straight to nicknames. Her power to socialize with people and establishing relationships quickly were seriously off the cchars. Kurumi, having mostly hung out with Izuku and Bakugo in her childhood, had trouble handling a female friend with such a bubbly attitude. She'd been swept up in Mina's pace and had failed to put up any form of resistance as Mina warmed her way in.

"N-nothing… Mi." The nickname was like sand, course and awkward against her tongue, but her bubbly friend had insisted she call her that and wouldn't have it any other way.

But when all was said and done, Kurumi couldn't lie to herself. She was excited to have a girl her age as her friend, and that excitement had kept her awake in bed last night. Though it was a secret she would be carrying to her grave.

"Why don't you look excited?" Mina demanded, "I mean, it's All Might!"

"Not a big fan of him," Kurumi shrugged.

Mina blinked before she looked at Kurumi as if she were an alien life form, "I never knew someone could _not_ like All Might aside from the villains."

Black sclera glistened in thought before Mina leaned further into her. "Are you a villain?"

"Of course not," Kurumi rolled her eye.

"Then how come?"

Well, that wasn't something so simple to talk about, was it? Kurumi chuckled deprecatingly to herself.

"Well, let's go." Kurumi decided to ignore the question. Their fellow classmates were getting out of their seats and approaching the cubbyholes containing their hero costumes. All Might had already finished his little speech and Mina blinked in confusion, having drowned out his booming voice in favor of her conversation with Kurumi.

"Huh? I didn't pay attention," Mina said dumbstruck, "What did All Might say?"

"Your number is…26. There it is." Kurumi grabbed the clothes in the cabinet and tossed what was presumably Mina's hero costume over.

Grabbing her own costume, Kurumi extended her hand. "Come on. We'll go to the changing room. We're putting on our hero attire. And then, we meet at Ground Beta."

Mina blinked, before a bright smile blossomed across her face, "Aye. Aye. Captain!"

Mina grabbed her hand.

* * *

"Deku… You look like a rabbit."

That was the first thing Kurumi said to Izuku as they met amidst the gathered crowd of class 1-A in the field of Ground Beta. She circled around the green haired boy, inspecting every inch of him as she rubbed her chin.

"Rabbit Deku. How cute." Kurumi nodded in approval.

"Ahaha, it's not a rabbit though." Izuku said, adjusting the mask over his face.

"I actually designed it with All Might in mind," Izuku explained, "See the similarities? The mouth here looks a lot like All Might's smile right? And these ears are like All Might's hair!"

"Uuuhhh.." Kurumi cocked her head, "Sure. Why not? Okay."

Unsatisfied with Kurumi's answer, Izuku spent the next five minutes trying to make her see the image he had in mind when he designed the costume. Kurumi nodded her head, but the green haired boy had an inkling that she'd still not see his costume in the way he wanted it to be viewed as.

"How cute." Kurumi ruffled his head.

It wasn't supposed to be cute! That just about confirmed his suspicions. Izuku wondered if he should design his costume again from a scratch before he pushed that thought to the corner of his mind.

"Your costume looks pretty cool too, Kurumi!" Izuku coughed, as he tried to shy away from Kurumi's hands. But she was relentless and persistent as she continued to stroke Izuku's long ears.

"What? I just copied my dad's costume and added a skirt to it. Nothing special." Kurumi said as her hand continued to roam his head.

Now that she put it that way, that really was just about it.

"It's still cool though…" Izuku decided to stand steadfast by his opinion, "Your dad's a cool hero. And you look like him."

It wasn't an exaggeration to say the least. Nobody would doubt that they were related in one way or another.

Her coal black eye glistened with warmth before she retreated a few steps back, shyly twiddling with her scarf. "That's the greatest compliment you can give me, Deku."

"R-really?" Izuku squeaked. She was taking that to heart more than he thought she would.

Her pale skin accentuated the light blush that blossomed on her cheeks even further. Izuku was thankful that he had his mask on or she would have seen how his own cheeks had turned an even darker shade than hers.

"Yeah. My dad's my favorite hero. Just like All Might is to you," Kurumi pivoted on one foot, and turned around a full circle, showing off her costume.

"But you look too much like him," Izuku offered, "I mean, shouldn't you have characteristics that make you stand out from him?"

If there was a problem, it was that she resembled Mr. Aizawa a little too much. The only difference between them was that they were male and female and while Mr. Aizawa sported a haggard look on a normal basis, Kurumi had a sharper look to her features like a cat.

"It's fine~" However, Kurumi shot Izuku's concerns down, "He isn't exactly media-friendly. Nobody knows."

Something about the way she said that seemed sad. Izuku couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he felt the smile behind his mask slide off.

"…Nobody knows who the Eraser Head is."

A breeze blew between them. Kurumi's hair fluttered in the wind and her scarf curled tighter around her neck like a snake upon its prey.

"I do."

The moment passed and the faint tinge of sadness was gone. Kurumi broke into a chuckle at Izuku's answer and the scarf loosened, nestling comfortably onto her shoulders once more.

"Only cuz you're a hero-maniac, silly Deku."

"Not really…" Izuku tried to deny. "A lot of people know him…"

"Thanks, Deku." Kurumi poked him with her elbow, "But seriously. If my dad had made a proper debut as a pro hero, he would have definitely been in the top ten hero rankings."

"No. No. I'm serious about this." Kurumi said seriously when Izuku didn't answer. "For one thing, he'd definitely beat Endeavor."

"Well," Izuku mulled over his words, "The hero rankings aren't exactly based on combat abilities."

"You're right," Kurumi dropped her shoulders, "But that doesn't change anything. He definitely did a lot of hero-work behind the shadows. Bet you he's got more cases solved under his belt than that old douche Endeavor."

"Douche?" Izuku repeated, "You don't like Endeavor?"

"Who would?" Kurumi snapped, "He's an arrogant asshole."

The steel in her voice was sharper than Izuku had expected. It felt more personal, the hatred more specific than that of someone who had simply seen Endeavor through a screen.

"Well, Endeavor does have a fair amount of haters…" Izuku scratched his cheek.

"Why is a guy like that number two?" Kurumi complained, kicking at a pebble by her foot.

"Well, you can't deny all the crimes he's stopped, the achievements he made…"

Izuku was about to drown in his hero fanboyism once more. It was a familiar repertoire, and Kurumi stopped him before he could go on any further.

"Well. Whatever. Still hate him though." Kurumi yawned.

Izuku chuckled, "Well, you sound as if you met him personally."

"Oh I did." Kurumi said lightly.

"Really?" Izuku blinked, "When?"

"A long time ago." Kurumi rubbed her eyepatch agitatedly.

" **I hate him."**

Her brows furrowed. Her lips thinned. A whirl of emotions rolled like a cesspool in her black iris. There was something crazed about the glint that appeared in her eye and she seemed to be lost in thought, reminiscing of her past or something else, Izuku dared not surmise. Hesitantly, tentatively, Izuku reached for her small shoulder.

His fingers grazed empty air.

Kurumi had sharply moved out of his arm's reach. She seemed more surprised and shocked than Izuku was, that she'd backed away from him. The two of them stared at Izuku's gloved hand, hanging in the air without a place to go.

Izuku retrieved his hand with an awkward cough. "Well, I think your costume looks cool."

He was pretty sure he'd said that line, but he repeated it anyways. He wasn't delighted about this sudden awkwardness.

"And your costume is very cute too, Deku." Kurumi returned quietly.

His abrupt change in topic wasn't unwelcome to Kurumi either.

"You could at least say it looks like All Might…" Izuku chuckled lightly. He was thankful for the mask over his face. Izuku had no idea what sort of expression he should be making right now. But even so…

"If anything, you look more like Asui…"

Even so, Izuku decided then and there. He was definitely going to get rid of this mask.

 **From now on, I think I'm going to write shorter chapters with quicker updates. I'm literally incapable of writing long chapters because I get tired quickly and the story gets incosistent. I've been struggling with that issue for the past few chapters, so I think this arrangement will be much better in the long run.**

 **Thank you for everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed!**

 **Much love and thanks for your patience! As a beginner in writing, I have so much room for improvement! And it feels like I'm not alone every step of the way.**


	12. Chapter 12

**That Which was Lost** (2)

It was fate of some kind. Destiny at work. Someone from the heavens above must have been weaving their threads, intersecting and mingling. Her uncle, despite being a cold-headed realist believed that such a thing as fate existed. That the future was something set in stone.

Kurumi Aizawa disagreed. Though she had yet to prove him wrong. But when the teams were called and she found herself paired with Izuku and facing off against none other than Katsuki Bakugo, she really had to give the idea the benefit of the doubt: that some higher power had a hand in all of this.

"…Kacchan is strong." Izuku was saying.

"His quirk is powerful." Kurumi agreed.

"Not just his quirk… His goal, his confidence…and physical strength…" Izuku trailed off, opening and closing his fist as if remembering the intensity of the flames that burned within his irises.

"Don't be intimidated. I mean you've got me by your side," Kurumi puffed out her chest proudly.

"Kurumi, about that…" Izuku said tentatively, "I was wondering about your quirk-

-Is it a quirk that allows you to read people's thoughts?"

Kurumi blinked before cocking her head, "What gave you the idea?"

"W-well, I mean. You seemed to know how Mr. Aizawa was going to move before he even did when you fought him yesterday. Your reaction speed was beyond normal and I was guessing, maybe your quirk allows you to see what the opponent is thinking…or something?" Izuku spoke his thoughts uncertainly.

He'd always been curious. As someone who had grown up without a quirk, he'd been interested in the quirks other people around him had twice as much. It was envy. It was jealousy.

There was nothing he could do to fill the hollow feeling in his chest whenever the people around him demonstrated their quirks. But there was somebody, a girl, who never once used her quirk as everyone else did. She had a quirk. Her heterochromic traits were telling enough.

But Izuku had never seen her use her quirk before.

He didn't even know what it was. Sh'd divert the topic whenever Izuku asked and he hadn't seen her use it once. Izuku didn't know if she was simply not using it in front of him, but Katsuki Bakugo hadn't a clue either. That had irritated the ash blonde and Izuku had been pushed to the ground for it, but it had been well worth the risk.

After that, Izuku had never inquired the girl about her quirk ever again. And for once, he simply decided to revel in that. The feeling of not being alone. The feeling of not being the odd one out of the group. And he wasn't the ugly duckling anymore. Just a normal boy. With her. With Kurumi Aizawa.

Kurumi Aizawa had been his one and only ally in a world where everybody were blessed with super powers.

But now, with One for All flowing through his veins, Izuku Midoriya grasped the courage to ask her about it again.

He had had thought of several possibilities, but honestly-

"-maybe your quirk allows you to see what the opponent is thinking-"

-was the most plausible that he could think of.

Something changed in her expression the moment those words left Izuku's lips. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but if he had to describe it, it was something akin to relief.

"That's right," Kurumi nodded, raising both her hands in the air in defeat, "You got me."

Izuku furrowed his brows. Somehow her confirmation didn't satisfy him. If he had to say, it almost sounded half-hearted.

"With a quirk like mine," Kurumi was saying, "It doesn't matter who I'm up against. Bakugo's quirk is powerful, but if he can't lay a hand on me, he's no good."

"Were you using it all this time ever since we were kids?"

"Uhhh.. You saw it yesterday, haven't you? My right eye glows when I use it. Have you ever seen it glow when I was around you?"

Izuku nodded in relief. That's right. That was true. He'd never ever seen it glow except…

"Once." Izuku blurted out as the memory struck him.

It wasn't a past he wanted to dredge up. That farewell two years ago had been what had haunted him during his middle school days. Izuku involuntarily winced and Kurumi scratched her neck again as if only now recognizing her blunder.

The last time he'd seen her before she was gone for two whole years.

That eerie glow in her eye that had split through the darkness of the night.

And words he could not fully comprehend that she had hurled his way...

"Ah. Right."

"So you were reading my mind that night." Izuku mumbled.

Kurumi's eye narrowed and she bit her thin lips. Her shoulders bunched as she beat the cement ground with her toe incessantly in deep rumination.

"I…I don't remember," Kurumi muttered at last.

"You don't?" Izuku couldn't hide the accusatory tone in his voice all too well.

"No! I meant," Kurumi frantically shook his hands in front of her, "I meant I don't really recall what you were thinking that night!"

"How could you forget that?" Izuku's eyebrows twitched, "You were so angry at me then. I didn't really understand what had you so mad, but if that was because you saw what I was thinking, then…!"

"I'm sorry," Kurumi muttered, "I really, really…don't know."

And that was a lie.

Izuku knew by the way her eye couldn't quite meet his. It stayed stubbornly at a certain point above his eyes and she tapped at her thighs to a rhythm that was disjointed and unsteady.

They say old habits die hard.

And Kurumi Aizawa was the worst liar Izuku had ever met. (Though Izuku had little to no clue that he was a worse liar than she.)

"Whenever you are ready, young Aizawa and young Midoriya! Let the round commence!" All Might's voice boomed through a microphone, disrupting their conversation and jambling Izuku's thoughts before he could continue them.

With a shake of his head, he adjusted his mask. Emerald eyes met coal black and the two nodded before they entered the building.

* * *

Katsuki Bakugo only ever knew one path. If something blocked the path he had chosen, then he would simply remove all that stood in his way by force. He was stubborn, but he had the strength to back up that personality.

He never compromised. Why should he? He only ever had one way of doing things and if he decided upon a direction, then that was the direction forward. There was no turning back, no turning left or right or an easy way out.

After all, he was special. He was gifted. He was strong. He had been chosen. Therefore, he wasn't the one that had to compromise. It was the people around them.

But one day, Katsuki Bakugo looked behind him and found a green haired boy running after him. He tripped and fell, rolled in the dirt. He was utterly, unbearably slow.

Katsuki Bakugo didn't like that. This was his road. His path. And he strove forward, paving the way with strength and confidence, and all the while, Katsuki Bakugo never stopped, never wandered, never paused and his pace was as strong as it had ever been…

But he could not lose sight of the boy behind him.

He was a quirkless boy with nothing to himself. He was weak. He was shy. He was a cry-baby. He was unworthy and Bakugo could not bear to see the sight of someone of his calibre stepping upon the very pavement of the road Bakugo himself had chosen to walk.

But Bakugo could not shake him free.

He could never lose sight of him fully.

For while the green haired boy tripped and fell, rolled in the dirt, he would always stand back up again. Bakugo had never fallen. He wouldn't know.

So he couldn't understand.

That boy, who had tasted bitter defeat more times than he could count, would not lose sight of Bakugo's back.

And that was when fear struck him. Though the distance between them was wide and far, what would happen when Bakugo fell? Would he be able to stand back up as well as that boy did?

Would it be possible for the boy to outrun him while Bakugo was fallen? His strides were long and wide, and free of hesitance, but he could not shake the terrifying feeling of uncertainty that came with the presence that continued to follow behind him.

This was his path. His life.

Bakugo had decided that way.

Forward.

It was all he had and all he knew.

So this isn't your place to be.

 **Izuku Midoriya.**

* * *

Explosion raked across the wall as Bakugo swung his right fist. An infernal blaze bathed all before him. When the smoke cleared and the heat cooled, Izuku Midoriya stared back at him with half his mask torn asunder.

That's right. Those were the eyes Bakugo hated so much. They were not looking down. They were not cowed. They were _alive._

 _ **StoP loOkIng At mE liKe tHAt.**_

"Deku…" Bakugo spat. "Just because he gave it to you, just because by some fluke of nature, All Might lent you his power, don't think for a second you have a chance against me!"

His right hand surged forth once more. It was a habit ingrained into his mind, one that Bakugo wasn't aware of and one he paid dearly for.

Izuku caught it by the elbow before the arm completed the swing and Bakugo felt the ground leave his feet. The world flipped for an instance before his back hit the cold hard floor and pain erupted along his spine.

But the pain was secondary to the humiliation that exploded from the pit of his stomach.

"You piece of shit!"

His palms lit ablaze and Bakugo propelled himself off the floor and straight for Izuku.

"You forgot about me, stupid."

"Not even once."

Kurumi's scarf lashed out from Bakugo's blind side. But he ducked under it at the last minute, but that gave Izuku the time to twist out of harm's way.

A momentary pause occurred as Bakugo eyed the two side by side. Kurumi still had her eye-patch on and Bakugo scoffed.

"You should have used your quirk the moment I showed up, you idiot!" Bakugo scoffed.

Kurumi bit her lips, but she made no move to remove it. Bakugo had an epiphany then.

"I was wondering why you were wearing an eyepatch all this time, but you…" Red eyes flickered with malice and the grin on Bakugo's face grew more wicked, "You're uncomfortable…No, you're afraid to use your quirk, aren't you?"

Kurumi's finger twitched and Izuku's fingers curled tighter into fists.

"That's it, isn't it! What's wrong?! Eyepatch!" Bakugo flexed his fingers, heat curling off of them, "Say something! Why aren't you using it now? You'll never beat me without using your full power, Eyepatch!"

"Bakugo…" The scarf around her neck twisted and coiled, uncertainty laced in every movement. There was no hostility, the kind of supsense before a battle that Izuku was so clearly exuding beside her at the moment.

"Don't underestimate me, Aizawa." Bakugo hissed.

"There's no point in beating you if you aren't giving it your all-"

"-That's right. Just like Deku. That's how it should be-"

"-I'll show you that some distances can never be closed-"

"-I'll show you the difference in our powers."

"It's not going to go like it used to, Kacchan!" Izuku said.

The grin on Bakugo's face twisted with genuine thrill and unadulterated hunger.

 _ **YoU wiSH.**_


End file.
